


(para)Normal Activity

by xiuminlover666



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, But it's not scary, Horror, Humour, M/M, Parody, Romance, Swearing, idiocy, lots of silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 09:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14185767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuminlover666/pseuds/xiuminlover666
Summary: Ghosts aren't real - that's something Jongdae is certain of. All he really cares about at the moment are his assignments and getting Baekhyun and Chanyeol to finally confess to each other. But his reasoning is put to the test when Chanyeol's extremely attractive neighbour appears to be haunted.





	(para)Normal Activity

Jongdae sighed and ran his hands through his unkempt hair. Baekhyun was slurping his drink very loudly and most of the library’s occupants glared at him.

 “It’s just one assignment, Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, just barely attempting to keep his voice down.  
 “It counts twenty percent of our term’s mark,” Jongdae whined. He knew that he was being loud but he didn’t care.  
 “And this one counts even more and if I get anything below a seventy then I won’t make it into honours.”

Baekhyun bit his lip and looked away. Their latest group assignment for journalism had been nothing short of disastrous. Jongdae had initially been excited to partner up with Baekhyun – they were best friends after all – but they had let their friendship come between their work ethic.

Jongdae had never thought of himself as a procrastinator. He’d always done everything in advance since primary school. But seeing as it had been the first assignment of the year he had felt rather relaxed about it.

Both him and Baekhyun got decent marks in their own individual assignments, so he had agreed with Baekhyun when he had high-fived him after class and insisted that their combined genius was a sure way of getting an A.

Unfortunately they had also just moved into a shared student flat together and were more excited about moving in and decorating than what they had been about work.

 “It’s the first week! No one’s working,” Baekhyun had said with a dismissive wave of his hand when they had decided to throw a house-warming party that ended at dawn the next day.

They had woken up to find that the furniture had been rearranged by the partiers and had thus had to spend the whole day cleaning and recovering from their hangovers.

 “They can’t expect us to work if all the society parties are this week,” Jongdae had shouted over the loud music at the welcoming party for the Journalism Society.

Chanyeol, their other best friend and third member of their iconic trio, had decided on becoming a frequent visitor to their flat with his Playstation. He had also moved into his own flat but it was some distance from Jongdae and Baekhyun so he really just wanted to spend more time together with them.

“The walls are thin and I don’t want to disturb my neighbour. He seems pretty serious,” Chanyeol had said at midnight during their loud Guitar Hero showdown.

And then it was suddenly the weekend before the assignment was due and Jongdae and Baekhyun had been tearing their hair out. As they had had no time to find people to interview, bearing in mind that said people were not allowed to be undergraduate students, Chanyeol was forced into pretending to be three different people.

 “Do you think proff realised that forty-year-old Mrs Park was actually twenty-year-old Chanyeol?” Baekhyun said thoughtfully before resuming his slurping.  
 “I didn’t read his comments. I don’t have the strength,” Jongdae said as he tossed the assignment on the table. He rubbed his eyes and glanced up when he saw a familiar figure bounding towards them.

 “Hey, guys,” Chanyeol said cheerily as he sat down beside Baekhyun. “How did the assignment go?”  
 “If Jongdae’s face is any indication, then take a guess,” Baekhyun said.

Although he had also been just as despondent as Jongdae when their unimpressed lecturer returned their assignment, he perked up noticeably upon Chanyeol’s arrival.

 “Right,” Chanyeol said. He scratched his head awkwardly. “Well I’m sure you’ll make it up later in the year. Er – why didn’t it go well?”

Jongdae sat forward on his elbows and sighed.  
 “Firstly, our professor thought the idea was unoriginal.”  
 “Well, we basically did plagiarise from one of Junmyeon’s old assignments,” Baekhyun muttered. Chanyeol looked slightly scandalised.  
 “Plagiarism! You can get excluded!”  
 “It wasn’t word-for-word. We’re not idiots,” Jongdae said pointedly. “But the bigger issue was that he saw it was obviously rushed and last minute.”  
 “Thanks for being Mrs Park, Mr Lee and Anonymous, though,” Baekhyun said with a smile as he patted Chanyeol on the back. He grinned proudly.

 “At least I helped you pass,” he said. Jongdae managed a small smile.  
 “Yeah, but Jongdae has ambitions and wants to do things with his life,” Baekhyun said and rolled his eyes.  
 “I don’t want to work for a student newspaper forever,” Jongdae muttered. “But we should try and think of a good topic now while there’s still time.”

He and Baekhyun took out their notebooks and tried to be as studious as possible. But Jongdae kept falling into reveries of regret and Chanyeol kept distracting Baekhyun.

 “It’s mine!” Baekhyun howled when Chanyeol took his drink from him.  
 “But I’m thirsty!”  
 “Don’t bite the straw!”

They started to squabble loudly and just as Jongdae glanced up to toss a paper ball at them he saw a figure standing behind them with a look of utmost disdain. Normally Jongdae wouldn’t care about being judged by a stranger, but this boy was _the stranger_.

He was a student a few years above Jongdae, he wasn’t sure how many, and he was probably the most beautiful student he had ever seen grace the campus. He was a bit shorter than Jongdae and he would have thought he was a first year when he first noticed him a year ago – until he had seen him in the line for post-graduate students at registration.

He only ever wore tracksuits and casual clothes but with the occasional addition of delicate silver earrings and a necklace. Jongdae always saw him carrying a laptop bag and at least three books. He had neat black hair and strong eyebrows and the most captivating eyes Jongdae had ever seen. Right now those eyes were judging the three of them and Jongdae sheepishly lowered his hand, paper ball projectile forgotten. He did not meet Jongdae’s eyes but moved on in the direction of the post-graduate library.

 “Cut it out,” he hissed before kicking Baekhyun under the table. Instead he got Chanyeol in the shin and he swore loudly.  
 “Ugh, let’s do this later,” Baekhyun said as he started to pack away his things while completely ignoring Chanyeol’s pained clutches on his sleeve.  
 “We should do it at home where we don’t have to be quiet,” Jongdae said as he stood up.

As they left they passed the post-graduate library and he dared to glance through the glass in the hopes of seeing the boy. Sure enough he was seated at a table and working diligently. Jongdae felt slightly regretful now at abandoning his work, but Chanyeol had suggested that they go for ice-cream and he couldn’t say no to that.

* * *

  
 “The real peer pressure isn’t being offered booze or drugs,” Baekhyun said as he tucked into his third cup of strawberry ice-cream. “It’s actually your friends pressuring you to go eat instead of working.”  
 “My work is all done,” Chanyeol said smugly as he bobbed his head.  
 “You don’t get the same assignments as us,” Jongdae retorted. “All you do is play instruments all day.”

Chanyeol frowned at him and he couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. For someone who was so gleeful and positive he had the knack of looking severely serious when he furrowed his brows.

 “Hey, music is a serious degree – “  
 “I know, I’m just joking,” Jongdae said. “Here.”

He held out a spoonful of his own ice-cream and Chanyeol eagerly leaned forward. But Baekhyun shoved him out the way and snatched the spoon with the ferocity of a dog.

 “Jesus, Baekhyun,” Jongdae sighed.

Chanyeol pouted but he was oblivious to the glare Baekhyun shot at Jongdae. He rolled his eyes but bit back a comment.

They had all been friends since primary school, but in their last year of high school Baekhyun had developed a debilitating crush on Chanyeol. Jongdae had initially been very happy for him, but it was now bordering on four years and he was tired of Baekhyun’s possessiveness and occasional awkwardness. He had no problems with being the third-wheel because he knew that if they started dating then nothing would really change between them, but it was incredibly frustrating to watch Baekhyun suppress his feelings. Also Jongdae thought it was glaringly obvious that Chanyeol felt the same way towards Baekhyun but they were both too stupid to see it themselves.

 “I know work is intense and stuff, but we should hang out more this year,” Chanyeol said before happily accepting a spoonful of ice-cream from Baekhyun. Jongdae resisted the urge to gag.  
 “You’ve already spent three weekends at our place,” Baekhyun laughed. “I mean we don’t mind but you may as well just move in with us already.”

Chanyeol’s posture sagged slightly and he frowned. “I wish I could. I’ve only been living at my place fo

r four weeks and I’m going crazy,” he said quietly.

Baekhyun and Jongdae exchanged worried glances.

 “Why? You haven’t said anything before,” Jongdae said. “It’s practically on campus so surely it’s more convenient for you?”  
Chanyeol shook his head.

 “It’s not my place…it’s my neighbour,” he said. He was staring resolutely at his own empty cup.  
 “Is he a dick?” Baekhyun asked, sitting up and puffing his chest out. “Because we can go together and tell him to – “  
 “No! No not at all,” Chanyeol said quickly as he shook his head. “He’s nice. Really quiet, but nice to me. He always greets me. But…”

He trailed off and looked very hesitant as he wrung his hands in his lap.

 “What?” Jongdae pressed. He was worried that it was something serious.  
 “His flat is haunted,” Chanyeol whispered.

Jongdae stared at him and Baekhyun’s jaw fell open. Then they both burst into fits of laughter.

 “Guys! I’m serious!” Chanyeol cried. He crossed his arms stamped his foot beneath the table.

 “Chanyeol, you never fail to make my day,” Baekhyun said as he wiped a tear from his eye. Jongdae laughed even more when a faint blush crept across Chanyeol’s face.

 “You won’t be laughing when I get possessed or killed or something!” Chanyeol huffed.  
 “Chanyeol, ghosts aren’t real,” Jongdae wheezed.  
 “Actually they are,” Baekhyun said.  
 “Then why are you laughing?” Chanyeol said indignantly.  
 “Apartments and flats never get haunted,” Baekhyun said with a nod. “It’s always houses.”  
 “Baekhyun you can’t be serious,” Jongdae said.

But Baekhyun looked very serious now. He gaped at him.

“I know a lot about ghosts,” he said authoritatively.  
 “From the five seasons of _Supernatural_ you watched?” Jongdae scoffed. “It’s bullshit, Baekhyun.”  
 “We watched _The Conjuring_ together!” Baekhyun said loudly. “Explain that, Jongdae!”  
 “Sensationalism and general superstition,” he said dryly. “You nearly wet your pants in the cinema so you of all people shouldn’t actively believe in this stuff.”  
 “What if it turns out like _The Conjuring_?” Chanyeol cried hysterically.

Jongdae laughed at him but now Baekhyun looked grave.

 “When did it start? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” he asked.  
 “About a week after he moved in. Well, it might have started as soon as he moved in but, er, I was usually drunk or at your place,” he said sheepishly.  
 “Or both,” Jongdae said with a smirk.  
 “Do you hear weird things?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol nodded.  
 “Banging at really weird times,” he said. “And, like, he’s such a small quiet guy I just know it’s not him.”  
 “This is ridiculous,” Jongdae laughed. Baekhyun and Chanyeol turned their frowns on him and he shook his head.  
 “There’s a rational explanation for everything,” he said with a shrug. Baekhyun shoved his cup towards Chanyeol rather aggressively.

 “Well, I’m going to investigate this for myself,” he announced. “Chanyeol, can I sleep over tonight?”

Jongdae nearly swallowed his spoon but his choking went unnoticed by Chanyeol. His eyes were practically shining with glee.

 “Yeah! We can eat pizza and drink beer and watch movies!” he said eagerly.  
 “I’ll finally have some peace and quiet,” Jongdae said loudly over Chanyeol.

He would have liked to join in on them but he was secretly elated at the prospect of something – _anything_ – happening between the two of them. 

 “I’ll brainstorm for the assignment, you should too,” Jongdae said.  
 “Right,” Baekhyun said. But when he turned to look at Chanyeol a strange expression overcame his face. He wordlessly reached out his hand and brushed away a stray dollop of ice-cream from Chanyeol’s bottom lip.

Jongdae rolled his eyes as Chanyeol quietly blushed in his seat and Baekhyun made a performance of gathering up his backpack. He shouldered his own bag and stood up.

 “I’ll see you clowns tomorrow,” he said, leaving them to be embarrassed together before he turned and left.

* * *

It was three in the morning when Jongdae was awoken by his phone ringing. He swore and detangled himself from his duvet.

 “What?” he whined into the phone.  
 “Jongdae – oh my God –“

It was Baekhyun and he sounded absolutely terrified. His tone shook off the vestiges of sleep and Jongdae sat up straight.  
 “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”  
 “We’re coming now! Wait up for us, please!”

Then he cut the call and left Jongdae to pace around the flat in his pyjamas in a small fit of worry. Baekhyun rarely sounded so scared and he hoped that he and Chanyeol were alright.

When he heard the sound of the front door unlocking he rushed to the door to see Baekhyun and Chanyeol haphazardly kick off their shoes and sprint inside. They had thrown jackets over their pyjamas and were incredibly dishevelled and carrying bags and packets of food.

 “What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked. Their faces were flushed from running.  
 “Jongdae,” Chanyeol gasped. He dropped his backpack and groaned.  
 “It’s haunted,” Baekhyun whispered and his eyes were wide with fear.

Jongdae felt annoyance spike through him.

 “Are you for real? I thought you got robbed or evicted or something!” he nearly shouted. Chanyeol cowered slightly but Baekhyun looked indignant.

 “We’re serious, Jongdae! There were knocks on the walls and then there was this-this flicking sound and something broke – “  
 “I’m going back to bed. I don’t have time for this,” Jongdae interjected before marching past them and back to his room. He slammed the door and threw himself under the duvet. His sleep was precious and he didn’t need it being interrupted by Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s superstitious antics.

Jongdae felt rather guilty for his outburst so he made breakfast the next morning. He smirked when the pair emerged from Baekhyun’s room with messy hair though he withheld a comment.

 “Pancakes!” Chanyeol said excitedly.  
 “Sorry for being annoyed last night,” Jongdae said as he served the food. “But I swear to God I don’t want to hear another thing about this ever again.”  
 “Fine,” Baekhyun said distractedly through a mouthful of food. “But you should know that I found the greatest topic ever last night.”  
 “What?” Jongdae asked.  
 “Investigating hauntings.”

Jongdae swore.

 “You really want us to fail, is that it?” he whined.  
 “Jongdae we don’t have to do the flat!” Baekhyun yelled over him. “This campus is ancient so there’s plenty of locations. We can interview plenty of people who aren’t undergrad students.”  
 “Why can’t you interview undergrads?” Chanyeol asked, completely ignoring Jongdae’s whining.  
 “The department is stupid,” Baekhyun muttered.  
 “Baekhyun, we are going to _fail_ ,” Jongdae said. “How can we do an investigative piece on something that isn’t even grounded in reality?”  
 “It is!” Baekhyun insisted. “There’s a plethora of proof!”  
 “You’re ridiculous!”  
 “Hey, why don’t you make it about cultural superstitions and urban legends? Wouldn’t that be easier to interview people about?” Chanyeol meekly suggested.

Jongdae and Baekhyun stopped their stare-off.

 “That’s brilliant, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun exclaimed and he patted his shoulder.  
 “Actually that is a good idea,” Jongdae admitted. “But if this turns into an episode of _Buzzfeed Unsolved_ then I swear to God we will change the topic to something else.”  
 “Fine,” Baekhyun said as he rolled his eyes. 

* * *

 

Jongdae was very pleased to discover that he was actually conducting rational interviews about rational things with rational people.  He and Baekhyun had interviewed some of the university staff about the famous campus landmarks and the history surrounding them.

Jongdae had nearly forgotten about the ridiculous haunting of Chanyeol’s neighbour because he had informally moved in as he was staying over nearly every night. Jongdae was now very invested in getting Baekhyun to make a move. When Chanyeol did sleep over he naturally shared Baekhyun’s bed and while that was nothing revolutionary to Jongdae, he could not help but sigh out of frustration when either of them emerged the next morning looking just as platonic as ever.

To add to his worries, Jongdae realised that they didn’t have enough material for their assignment. They could only ramble on about the university’s history for so long before starting to waffle. And to make matters worse they had to somehow relate it to their current context as students – something their lecturer had only informed them of a week after giving out the assignment.

Jongdae and Baekhyun had been dragged to the soccer club party by Chanyeol even though he wasn’t even a member of the team. Chanyeol had been very dedicated to attending each and every society and sport party that year. It was a well-known secret that every event held by any society was actually just an excuse to have a raucous party at the club’s expense.

 “Which clubs did he even join?” Jongdae asked. It was a rather wild party for his liking but he was glad that the punch was free.  
 “None,” Baekhyun said. “But he’s having so much fun so I’m certainly not going to stop him.”

Jongdae turned to give Baekhyun a strong look.

“Baekhyun, when are you going to confess?”  
Baekhyun nearly choked on his punch.

 “I’ll do it when I do it,” he spluttered. Even in the dim lighting of the clubhouse Jongdae could see that he was blushing.  
 “It’s been four years! At this rate you’ll take it to your grave,” Jongdae groaned.  
 “I’m just nervous! You try confessing to someone!” Baekhyun snapped.

Jongdae bit back a retort as he had never been in the same position as Baekhyun. Well, he’d been crushing on the beautiful stranger for over a year now. But he didn’t really consider that as a real crush because he didn’t know anything about him. Hell he didn’t even know his name. It was just a visual crush. Jongdae just liked his appearance, nothing more.

He noticed how Baekhyun’s expression softened and he followed his line of sight and spotted Chanyeol across the room looking exceptionally merry. 

 “Please go tell him he looks nice or something,” Jongdae said.  
 “But he always looks nice,” Baekhyun said.  
 “Tell him his butt is cute in those jeans.”  
 “Jongdae!”

He laughed and patted Baekhyun on the shoulder.  
 “Go dance,” he said with a slight nudge. Baekhyun hesitated for a moment before striding away towards Chanyeol. Jongdae took a seat on a plastic chair and watched them intently.

Chanyeol’s face lit up when Baekhyun approached him and Jongdae wished he could hear what they were saying. He sat on the edge of his chair as they moved closer together, undoubtedly to hear each other over the loud music. Baekhyun reached up a hand to gently touch the back of Chanyeol’s head and Jongdae clenched his fists in anticipation.

Then Baekhyun suddenly pulled away and started doing a ridiculous chicken dance and sent Chanyeol into a fit of laughter.

 “Goddammit!” Jongdae cried and he threw his empty cup across the room.

 “Is the punch that bad?”

He jumped at the sound of a voice close behind him and whirled around. Jongdae nearly fell out his chair when he saw his visual crush standing behind him with one hand in the pocket of his well-fitted jeans and the other holding a cup of punch. He wore a plain black sweatshirt but he looked completely different to whenever Jongdae had seen him on campus. He was alarmingly attractive.

 “Oh, no,” Jongdae stuttered. “I’m just trying to get my friends to admit their feelings for each other but they’re idiots. The punch is great, though.”  
 “Ah, shipping is always painful,” he said with a smile.

Jongdae was momentarily distracted by how the right side of his mouth was raised slightly higher than the other and he nearly missed his next words.  
 “I made it myself but I was worried it’d be too bitter,” he said. “A lot of the first years can’t handle it.”  
 “To be honest my tolerance is pretty low too,” Jongdae said with a laugh.  
 “Then I’m probably too old for these kind of things,” he replied.

Jongdae couldn’t suppress his curiosity.  
 “Too old? What year are you in?” he asked.  
 “I’m doing my masters,” he replied and Jongdae barely contained a gasp. Luckily he laughed at his reaction.  
 “I get that a lot. Even a first year at soccer practice asked if I was in first year. You should have seen his face when I told him I’m the coach.”

Jongdae laughed despite his disbelief. There was a light fluttering sensation in his stomach that he tried to suppress. He needed to try and act natural and not as though he had been staring at this man for over a year every time he saw him at the library.

 “I’m Minseok, by the way,” he said with a nod.  
 “Jongdae,” he replied. He was racking his brain for some kind of interesting topic of conversation but at that moment Minseok’s eyes widened as he looked past him.  
 “Oh, that guy just passed out.”

Jongdae turned around and was unsurprised to see Baekhyun sprawled out on the floor. Chanyeol was fretting over him like a mother hen.

 “That’s my friend,” he groaned as he stood up. “He has the tolerance of a new-born. I’ll look after him.”  
 “Please do,” Minseok chuckled. “It was nice meeting you, by the way.”  
 “Yeah,” Jongdae said before realising how lame he sounded. He smiled widely and waved to Minseok before walking off and cursing himself all the while.

 “Jongdae! He just fell over!” Chanyeol cried when Jongdae reached him and pushed past the curious onlookers.  
 “Just usual Byun Baekhyun,” Jongdae sighed. He bent down to turn him over onto his front. A wide stupid grin was plastered on his face.  
 “Let’s take him back to your place. It’s closer.”  
Chanyeol’s look of worry intensified.  
 “If you so much as think of ghosts then I will leave you to drag him back to our place all by yourself,” Jongdae said dangerously.

It was a Herculean task to haul Baekhyun to Chanyeol’s flat as he truly had passed out. Chanyeol tried to carry him on his back for a while but he didn’t have the strength to last long so he and Jongdae had to carry him by his legs and torso. Jongdae felt slightly bitter at being interrupted from talking with Minseok so he wasn’t particularly careful about Baekhyun’s head when they stumbled into the flat and practically threw him on Chanyeol’s bed.

 “I’ll never understand why he insists on drinking every time we go out,” Jongdae said.  
 “He was having such a good time too,” Chanyeol said mournfully. He gently brushed Baekhyun’s hair out of his face and rearranged his limbs so that they wouldn’t go numb beneath him. Jongdae got a bottle of water and a bucket to place beside the bed and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Chanyeol tucking the duvet over Baekhyun.

 “Chanyeol, you’re very caring,” Jongdae said later when they were both eating chips on the sofa. Chanyeol seemed surprised at his observation.  
 “Well, yeah, he’s drunk,” he stammered.  
 “I mean you’re always there to look after him,” Jongdae continued. But Chanyeol just looked confused.  
 “Do you like him as more than a friend?” he asked impatiently. Chanyeol gaped at him.  
 “Me? Well – I –“ he spluttered incoherently.

Jongdae slapped his palm against his forehead. He was about to ask again but then there was a sudden bang on the wall behind their heads and they jumped.

 “What was that?” Jongdae asked. But Chanyeol had jumped up and was backing away with the chips still in his hands.  
 “Jongdae!” he whispered. “It’s happening!”

There was another bang but Jongdae didn’t jump while Chanyeol swore.

 “It’s your neighbour,” Jongdae said calmly. Chanyeol shook his head so adamantly that his hair flopped around.  
 “We should take Baekhyun and go,” he insisted.  
 “Don’t be ridiculous, Chanyeol,” Jongdae sighed as he rubbed his temples. There was a third bang and Chanyeol made a sound akin to a dying animal.

 “Three knocks!” he cried.  
 “So?”  
 “Don’t you watch movies? That means it’s a demon!” Chanyeol shrieked.  
 “Or your neighbour is just really clumsy,” Jongdae said as he stood up. “I’ll sleep here tonight.”  
 “Don’t make me sleep alone!” Chanyeol whined.

Jongdae didn’t have the strength or energy to argue so he begrudgingly settled down in Chanyeol’s bed between him and Baekhyun who was sprawled out on his front.

 “Baekhyun smells like punch,” he muttered sullenly. Chanyeol was nearly wrapped around him like a koala and he was incredibly uncomfortable.

After a while of struggling to fall asleep Jongdae disentangled himself from Chanyeol’s grasp and carefully climbed over him and off the bed. He took his pillow and a spare blanket that was draped over the chair and shuffled to the living room and lay down on the sofa, eager to finally get some sleep.

 

Jongdae woke up feeling rather well-rested even though he was certain he had heard a few strange sounds during the night. But all thoughts of Chanyeol’s neighbour left his mind when he walked into the bedroom and saw just how adorable he looked sleeping close beside Baekhyun.

He smiled to himself and went to the kitchen. Chanyeol’s fridge was dismally stocked with mostly instant meals so Jongdae couldn’t attempt to make a nice breakfast.

He was eating cereal on the couch while scrolling through social media on his phone when Chanyeol emerged from the room rubbing his eyes.

 “What day is it?” he yawned.  
 “Saturday. Also why do you own nothing but instant noodles?”  
 “I’m always eating at your place,” he said with a shrug.

The incoherent sound of Baekhyun’s voice suddenly erupted from the bedroom and Chanyeol hurried out the kitchen. Jongdae really didn’t want to see Baekhyun throwing up so he remained on the couch.

 “Is he alive?” he asked Chanyeol when he came back to eat some cereal.  
 “Barely. That punch was too strong,” he said with a disappointed shake of his head. Jongdae remembered Minseok and he smiled to himself.

Once Baekhyun had showered and was wearing Chanyeol’s clothes despite them being several sizes too large for him, they had resolved to go back to their flat to eat real food. Jongdae had to contain a coo of delight when he saw how Chanyeol’s shirt swallowed up Baekhyun because it was just so damn cute.

 “I have painkillers at home,” he said as he walked out the door. “But Baekhyun this really needs to stop.”  
 “Don’t make me sound like an alcoholic!” Baekhyun shouted from within the flat.

Jongdae was about to retort when he saw a figure in his periphery. He turned and he nearly fell over his own feet when he saw Minseok walking down the corridor towards him. He wore a tight sleeveless shirt and exercise pants. His face glistened with sweat and when he pushed back his damp hair Jongdae thought that he was witnessing something inappropriate and was about to run back inside because it was really all too much to take in.

 “Jongdae?” Minseok said in surprise when he noticed him.

He tugged his earphones out his ears and smiled at him just as Chanyeol and Baekhyun emerged through the doorway making a racket. Jongdae wanted nothing more than to disappear at that moment because he was still wearing the clothes he’d worn to the party and he hadn’t even washed his face and yet here was Minseok returning from a morning run.

 “Hey,” Jongdae said with a smile while trying to suppress his awkwardness.  
 “What are you doing here?” Minseok asked, but then he spotted Chanyeol and his smile widened. “Oh, morning, Chanyeol.”  
 “Morning,” Chanyeol muttered with a small bow.  
 “Chanyeol’s my friend,” Jongdae explained.  
 “And so am I. I’m Baekhyun,” he said loudly, all sufferings of a hangover seemingly gone.

Jongdae could feel the waves of smugness radiating off him and he instantly regretted pointing Minseok out to him one day at the library.

 “Minseok,” he said with a nod. “Nice to meet you.”  
 “Baekhyun couldn’t handle your punch last night so we’re off to take him home and give him some greasy food,” Jongdae said.  
 “Oh, sorry about that,” Minseok said with a look of sympathy.  
 “It was worth it,” Baekhyun said.  
 “Let’s go then,” Chanyeol said rather insistently even though they weren’t in much of a hurry.  
 “I’ll see you guys around,” Minseok said with a small wave which Jongdae returned with a bit too much enthusiasm as he nearly took out Baekhyun’s eye. Then he approached the door next to Chanyeol’s and entered his own flat.

 “He’s your neighbour?” Jongdae asked.

The looks of horror on Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s face were enough confirmation and they practically ran down the corridor.

 “You see what I mean? There’s no way it’s him making all those weird sounds,” Chanyeol whispered in the stairwell.  
 “To make matters worse, Jongdae’s in love with him,” Baekhyun said gravely.

Jongdae nearly fell down the stairs.

 “What?!”  
 “You’ve been infatuated with him since last year,” Baekhyun said with a smirk.  
 “Really? Do you know him?” Chanyeol asked.  
 “I-I only met him last night,” Jongdae spluttered. He felt heat creeping into his cheeks and he wanted to slap the smug grin from Baekhyun’s face.  
 “It’s just a visual crush,” he said. “I just think he’s good-looking. Nothing more!”  
 “Hmm, if you say so,” Baekhyun sang.

He dodged out the way to avoid Jongdae’s slap.

 “He is pretty cute,” Chanyeol said thoughtfully and Jongdae cackled at the look of jealousy on Baekhyun’s face.  
 “Too bad he’s haunted,” Chanyeol said with a shake of his head.  
 “Haunted people aren’t cute,” Baekhyun muttered although Chanyeol didn’t hear him.

Jongdae quickly changed the topic of conversation because the last thing he wanted to do was to dwell on what he really thought of Minseok.

Before Jongdae had actually met him he had constructed several different identities for him. He had immediately decided that he was a quiet person the moment he first laid eyes on him. He just looked gentle and soft-spoken despite how his eyes could sometimes be very piercing. He had wondered if perhaps he was a young genius who had left high school at an early age.

Jongdae hadn’t assumed that he was very athletic as his tracksuits and casual clothes had always been somewhat baggy, but seeing Minseok wearing his tight exercise clothes had nearly made him do a double take.

 “Are you even listening, Jongdae?”

Baekhyun’s voice interrupted his musings on Minseok’s arms.

 “Er, no. Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “What were you saying?”

They were walking up the stairs to their flat and Jongdae was shocked to think that he had really been daydreaming about Minseok so intensely that he hadn’t even taken notice of space or time.

 “I feel like we’ve hit a plateau with our assignment,” Baekhyun said as he unlocked the door and they filed inside. Jongdae kicked off his shoes and raced Baekhyun to the sofa.  
 “Me too, but I don’t know what else we can research,” Jongdae sighed, ignoring Baekhyun flipping him off.  
 “I do but you’re going to have kittens,” Baekhyun said as he curled up on the dilapidated armchair. It was uncomfortable and it had come with the place though they didn’t really have the heart to get rid of it.

Jongdae narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun.

 “Is it the flat?” he asked.  
 “We should call it Minseok’s flat, shouldn’t we?” Baekhyun said with a smirk.

Before Jongdae could attack Baekhyun, Chanyeol returned from the kitchen at that moment with a bottle of water and he wordlessly gave it to Baekhyun.  
 “Thanks,” he said.  
 “I’m going to make breakfast – well I guess we can call it a brunch,” Jongdae said with some irritation as he got to his feet and left Chanyeol and Baekhyun to scramble for ownership of the couch.

Jongdae thought that if Minseok didn’t live there then he might have entertained the thought of investigating the flat.

 _Might_.

But now he certainly didn’t want to do something so incredibly idiotic in front of him. He thought that he had already made a dismal impression on him that morning. He was torn between wanting to redeem himself and not wanting to see Minseok ever again. Minseok was older than him and he was a master’s student so Jongdae really wanted him to think highly of him. He cringed at the memory of meeting him in his dishevelled clothes from the previous night.

 “Hey,” Chanyeol said as he entered the kitchen. “Baekhyun went to go throw up again.”  
 “Ugh, good,” Jongdae muttered.  
 “Jongdae, does the ghost thing really make you that mad?” Chanyeol asked in a small voice.

Jongdae wished Chanyeol wouldn’t slouch so much in his usual bowlegged manner because it made him look five years younger than what he was and it just made him regret ever doing so much as frown in Chanyeol’s direction.

 “It’s just…ridiculous,” Jongdae said, reaching out to pat Chanyeol’s arm. “If this wasn’t a serious assignment then I wouldn’t really care.”

He watched the eggs frying in the pan for a moment. There really wasn’t any other option seeing as they had combed through the entire university. The building was on campus property so Jongdae supposed that it would be somewhat legitimate and that it could have a history tied to the university.

 “Jongdae…I thought about…about what you asked me last night,” Chanyeol suddenly said in a voice barely above a whisper. Jongdae looked up in surprise and raised an eyebrow. Chanyeol’s eyes darted to the side and he looked nervous.  
 “You know…about Baekhyun,” he whispered.  
Jongdae actually felt a sense of excitement though he had to contain it.  
 “Oh?”

Chanyeol fiddled with his hands and bit his lip. Then he looked at Jongdae with wide eyes.  
 “I really do like him. You know – more than a friend,” he mumbled.  
 “That’s fantastic!” Jongdae exclaimed and he grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly.  
 “It is?” Chanyeol squeaked.  
 Jongdae knew he had to be cautious now. It wasn’t his place to betray Baekhyun but he could certainly try and encourage Chanyeol to confess.

 “Yes! I’ve always thought you two are cute together,” Jongdae said and Chanyeol’s ears turned red.  
 “Thanks?”  
 “Now you just need to confess and – “  
 “God, do we have any painkillers?” Baekhyun whined as he shuffled into the kitchen.

Chanyeol jumped out of his skin and Jongdae nearly sent the pan flying into the ceiling.  

* * *

 

Saturday had naturally been a write-off considering Baekhyun’s hangover and Jongdae’s general lack of motivation. Chanyeol had slept over again and even despite his exhaustion Baekhyun found some energy to play Playstation with him for the entire day. The console was like an extra limb of Chanyeol's as it was constantly being ferried between the two flats.

Now Jongdae – as much as he hated to admit it – could not help but feel that he was becoming rapidly obsessed with Minseok. He kept thinking back to the previous night and that morning and thought about how he said his name. It brought a smile to his face and a fluttering to his gut. He wondered what degree he was even doing and he berated himself for not asking.

He thought that Minseok must really like sport seeing as he was the soccer team coach and that he went for morning runs. If his physique was any indication then he was dedicated to fitness. He wondered what music he listened to when he exercised and whether he was a tea or coffee person or a cat or dog person.

 “Jongdae!” Chanyeol yelled and he was brought back to reality to discover that he had just been killed on the screen.  
 “Dammit,” he said half-heartedly.  
 “You just let yourself get shot,” Chanyeol said, shaking his head in disappointment. “I thought we promised to take down Baekhyun together!”  
 “Sorry, I was just thinking,” Jongdae said quickly. He could see the smirk creeping onto Baekhyun’s face.

 “Anyways, I think we should finalise this assignment. Are we going to the flat or not?” he said quickly.  
 “It’s _Minseok’s_ flat,” Baekhyun said loudly. “And yes I think it’s a great idea. The only thing is that we don’t really know him that well.”  
 “Chanyeol, can’t you talk to him?” Jongdae asked hopefully.

He shrank in his chair.

 “We’ve only spoken about the weather and university,” he said.  
 “Don’t pretend like you’re shy,” Jongdae said as he rolled his eyes.  
 “I don’t want to offend him!” Chanyeol said indignantly.  
 “Hopefully he doesn’t believe in such rubbish,” Jongdae said.  
 “I’ll go with you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said. He placed his hand on his arm and Chanyeol smiled.

 “How will we even go about asking him?” Jongdae said, momentarily ignoring the sweet gaze shared between his two friends. He was now very concerned that Minseok would in fact be offended or just creeped out in some way and he didn’t want to be a part of it.

 “I’ll just speak plainly. Tell him we’re poor long-suffering journalism students investigating hauntings and that his flat is on the top of our list,” Baekhyun said.  
 “But...”  
 “But what? Do you want to lie and say we’re ghost-hunters?” Baekhyun scoffed.  
 “Absolutely not,” Jongdae huffed. “I just don’t want to offend him either!”  
 “That’s why I’ll speak to him,” Baekhyun said with a self-assured grin.  
 “Yes, because you’ve never offended anyone before.”

* * *

On Sunday afternoon they set out for Chanyeol’s flat with mixed feelings. Baekhyun’s self-assurance had quickly left overnight and Chanyeol wrung his hands as they walked up the stairs to his floor. Jongdae was thoroughly regretting his decision to choose journalism as a degree. He should have just done psychology like everyone else.

After depositing some miscellaneous food and clothing in Chanyeol’s flat, the three of them stood awkwardly outside Minseok’s door. It was past lunch so Jongdae thought he should be at home. He felt very much like when he and either Baekhyun or Chanyeol had been sent on an errand to a teacher in primary school and had been too scared to knock on the classroom door.

 “Knock, Chanyeol,” Jongdae said quietly.  
 “Why me?!”  
 “He’s your neighbour,” Jongdae said. “It’d be weird if we did it.”  
 “How would he even know which one of us knocked?”  
 “This is stupid,” Baekhyun sighed before stepping forward and knocking on the door loudly.

The sound echoed in the quiet corridor and for some reason Jongdae felt an odd sense of looming dread. The weather certainly hadn’t helped their mood as it was overcast and Chanyeol had eloquently described as spooky.

They held their breaths for a moment before the door was opened and Jongdae had to control his face.

Minseok wore sweatpants and a very large sweatshirt and it was probably the most beautiful sight Jongdae had seen. Minseok looked rather tired despite his look of surprise.

 “Oh, hello,” he said as his eyes flitted over them.

He sounded slightly unsure and sirens blared in Jongdae’s mind. It was evident that Minseok was shy and now they were certainly overwhelming him and he looked so small in his own doorway and Jongdae was close to dragging Chanyeol and Baekhyun away.

 “Afternoon, Minseok. We – well Jongdae and I – have a massive favour to ask of you,” Baekhyun said calmly.  
 “Okay?”

Baekhyun took a deep breath.

 “We’re doing a journalism assignment on ghosts and Chanyeol said that your place has _been_ haunted so we want to ask if we can check it out.”

Jongdae wanted to scream. That was the absolute worst way Baekhyun could have explained their situation and now he wanted to walk straight to the administration building and deregister from university.

Minseok raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.

 “My flat is haunted?” he asked slowly.  
 “Don’t you hear all the weird stuff?” Chanyeol asked. “I always hear banging in the middle of the night.”  
 “Oh, yes I do hear that sometimes but I don’t believe in ghosts,” Minseok said pleasantly and Chanyeol barely contained his gasp.

Jongdae grinned triumphantly before he could stop himself.

 “You hear that, Baekhyun? Another voice of reason!” he said.

Baekhyun was gaping wordlessly and Chanyeol had actually taken a step backwards and was shaking his head in despair.

 “But-but we heard it that time!” Baekhyun cried. “There were so many knocks it was so creepy!”  
 “It’s probably the pipes or something,” Minseok said with a shrug. “This place is rather old.”

Then at that moment his front door moved slightly and both Chanyeol and Baekhyun gasped and threw themselves back. Jongdae rolled his eyes. Minseok stared at them as if unsure of how to react.

 “I’m sorry for bothering you with this,” he said. “Do you maybe know the history of the building? Baekhyun explained it badly – “  
 “I did not!”  
 “ – but we’re actually looking into urban myths on campus and the cultural relevance of it. It’s not as stupid as he made it sound,” Jongdae continued loudly over Baekhyun.

Minseok laughed and it was a wonderful sound to Jongdae.

 “I only moved in this year so I don’t really know anything,” he said. “But if you really want to you can come inside and look for yourself.”

Jongdae nodded and grinned before he could stop himself and he felt Baekhyun grab his sleeve but he shrugged him off. He stepped over the threshold with Chanyeol and Baekhyun close behind him and they all nearly fell over each other whilst removing their shoes because the two were now joined by their arms out of fear.

 “It’s different from Chanyeol’s,” Jongdae remarked as he followed Minseok inside.

While Chanyeol’s flat was decently sized it was full of instruments and a collection of junk that took up most of the space. But Minseok’s flat was much more spacious. Despite the old-fashioned design of the building and the furniture, the place had a clean minimalistic aesthetic to it that made Jongdae smile because it showed him what Minseok was like. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere and everything was perfectly arranged.

 “Er, the kitchen and the lounge are here,” Minseok said with some awkwardness and a small gesture.    
 “My room is there,” he said as he pointed to the door closest to them. “And there’s the bathroom.” He pointed at the door opposite it and all in all Jongdae thought it was rather nice for student accommodation.

Actually it was suspiciously nice. He realised he had never asked Chanyeol about his rent because it would have been rude.

 “It’s really big for a student’s flat,” he said.  
 “I think it’s because it’s so old,” Minseok replied. “Things malfunction a lot so the rent is cheap.”  
 “Malfunction?” Chanyeol asked in confusion. “Like what? My stuff always works.”  
 “The lights flicker and sometimes the appliances just stop working,” Minseok said.

He looked slightly alarmed as Chanyeol moved closer to him with wide imploring eyes.

 “Have you spoken to the landlord?”  
 “Yes,” he said as he took a step back. “But the maintenance workers haven’t come around yet.”

Baekhyun groaned and Chanyeol’s face paled. Jongdae resisted a sigh.

 “The place is just old. They can’t suddenly now rewire the entire place or break through the walls to fix the pipes,” he said and he was delighted when Minseok nodded in agreement.  
 “I’m sure there’s still something you can research,” he said. “It actually sounds pretty interesting.”   
 “Thanks, but it’s not worth getting possessed,” Baekhyun said and Jongdae wanted to hit him.

He was relieved that Minseok seemed to be amused at Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s stupidity but he was worried that they were now intruding.

 “Sorry to have bothered you,” he quickly said to Minseok with a small bow. Minseok waved a hand dismissively.  
 “It’s fine, really. I was just about to go to the library anyway,” he said.

Baekhyun’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline.  
 “The library? On a _Sunday_?”

Minseok grinned at him.  
 “Masters is quite demanding,” he said with a shrug.  
 “What are you doing it in?” Jongdae asked.  
 “Architecture,” Minseok replied and Jongdae was slightly in awe.  
 “We should get going, then,” Baekhyun said.

They thanked Minseok for his time before hurrying out and straight into Chanyeol’s flat.

 “Jongdae, he’s so out of your league,” Baekhyun said as soon as he locked the door behind him.  
 “Shut up!” Jongdae spluttered.  
 “He’s out of everyone’s league, actually,” Chanyeol said. “I mean, who works on a Sunday? He’s better than all of us.”  
 “Too bad he’s haunted,” Baekhyun sighed, shaking his head sadly.  
 “Can we drop it? We should actually get some other work done seeing as we’ve done nothing all weekend,” Jongdae said before collapsing onto the couch.

While he was immensely glad that Minseok didn’t believe in ghosts, he was slightly disappointed because investigating his flat had been their last option.

 

Jongdae had finished what work he was able to and was comfortably sprawled out on the sofa. He had managed to salvage some ingredients from Chanyeol’s neglected cupboard and had made a hearty pot of macaroni and cheese. It was raining outside and he watched Baekhyun destroy Chanyeol on the Playstation through half-lidded eyes and he felt very content. He was immune to their cursing and shouting and listened to the rain pelting against the window while gazing at the game flickering on the TV screen.

 “Baekhyun!” Chanyeol whined before tossing his controller across the floor and pulling Baekhyun into a headlock.

Jongdae smiled as they started to wrestle but there was suddenly a knock on Chanyeol’s front door that made the pair freeze. They disentangled themselves and Chanyeol scrambled to his feet.

 “Just confess already,” Jongdae whispered with a smirk. Baekhyun flipped him off just as Chanyeol returned, his brows furrowed in confusion.

 “Minseok’s at the door,” he said.  
 “So let him in,” Jongdae said, barely restraining himself from shouting. The three of them shuffled to the door and Chanyeol fumbled with the locks before yanking it open.

Minseok was soaked head to toe and holding a broken umbrella. The sight was too much for Jongdae and he couldn’t help but gape open-mouthed at him. He brushed his wet hair out of his eyes and smiled shyly.

 “Evening, Chanyeol. I’m sorry to bother you, but, er, my door seems to be stuck or something,” he said quickly. He seemed to be very flustered and his cheeks were pink.  
 “Oh! Uh, let me see,” Chanyeol stuttered as he ambled out the door. 

 “What happened to your umbrella?” Jongdae asked with concern. Minseok smiled at him and a stray raindrop fell from his nose.  
 “It’s like a hurricane outside,” he said with a small chuckle. “I didn’t want my laptop to get wet so I had to sacrifice myself and try to shield it with the umbrella.”

Jongdae couldn’t think of what to say because all he wanted to do was wrap Minseok up in a giant blanket and feed him something warm.

 “The key doesn’t work, right?” Chanyeol asked, staring intently at the key in the keyhole while turning the doorknob. Minseok nodded.  
 “I don’t want to bother the landlord at this hour and I don’t want to pay for a locksmith either,” Minseok said with a small smile. “You look strong enough to unjam it if that’s the problem.”  
 “Oh, thanks,” Chanyeol said. Baekhyun frowned.  
 “Chanyeol’s hopeless at _Call of Duty_ so don’t count on him for too many things,” he said and Minseok smiled unsurely.  
 “Are you alright, though? You can get sick like that,” Jongdae asked. He ordinarily would have laughed at Baekhyun’s jealousy and Chanyeol’s slight embarrassment but he was really concerned about Minseok. He looked at Jongdae with some surprise.  
 “I’m fine. I just need to get inside and shower,” Minseok said.

Chanyeol was pushing all of his weight on the door and he appeared to be straining.

 “Don’t break it,” Jongdae said.  
 “It’s so weird – GAH!”

At that moment the door opened and Chanyeol fell over the threshold. Jongdae and Baekhyun laughed at him but Minseok rushed over to him.

 “Are you okay?”  
 “Yeah,” he grunted as he got to his feet.  
 “Shame, it’s such a long way for you to fall,” Jongdae chuckled.  
 “Hmm, you can’t relate,” Chanyeol grumbled and Baekhyun laughed even more.

Minseok entered the flat and turned on the light so that he could examine the door.

 “That’s so strange. There’s nothing wrong with it,” he said.  
 “Maybe it was the ghost,” Jongdae said with a laugh before he could stop himself.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchanged horrified glances.  
 “Oh, my God I’m joking – “  
 “Minseok you should really move out,” Baekhyun said urgently.

Minseok stared at him and he seemed unsure of whether or not to laugh.   
 “Uh, the lock probably just jammed for whatever reason,” he said slowly. “It’s the first time it’s happened, though.”  
 “Exactly. There’s no need to start crying, Chanyeol,” Jongdae said. “If we keep Minseok any longer he’s going to catch pneumonia.”  
 “Thanks for the help,” Minseok said brightly.  
 “P-pleasure,” Chanyeol stuttered as he turned to leave while gripping Baekhyun’s arm.  
 “Get warm,” Jongdae said and Minseok smiled at him.

Jongdae ignored Chanyeol and Baekhyun cowering in the lounge because he wanted to engrave the sight of Minseok’s smile into his mind. He took one look at them and shook his head.

 “I don’t want to hear a word of it,” he said bluntly. “Seeing as there’s a downpour we should sleep here tonight. Is that okay, Chanyeol?”  
 “Yeah, but I have a seven forty-five lecture tomorrow morning,” Chanyeol whined.  
 “It’s not like you’ll go to bed any earlier if we’re not here,” Baekhyun scoffed.  
 “I want to play more games,” he said dismissively before striding back to the TV.

Jongdae resumed his position on the sofa and Chanyeol threw a blanket and pillow at him. He smiled at the thought that it was now common nature for Baekhyun to share a bed with Chanyeol even though it hadn’t brought them any closer together than what they were four years ago.

They resumed their loud game and Jongdae’s thoughts drifted to Minseok before he felt his eyelids start to droop and he fell asleep.

* * *

 

Jongdae had always considered himself as rather brave. He was always open to challenging himself and trying out new things.

But right now he wanted nothing more than to hide behind Chanyeol.

They were at the university café watching Minseok drinking a coffee whilst typing away on his laptop. He wore a black tracksuit and looked very much like a professional athlete.

 “For the love of God, Jongdae, just do it for the assignment!” Baekhyun hissed before pushing him forward. He stumbled inside and before he knew it his feet were taking him to Minseok.

He looked up and smiled at Jongdae.

 “Hey, Jongdae.”  
 “Hey.”

He stood there awkwardly for a moment.

 “Er, I’m sorry to bother you but – God I can’t believe it’s come to this – but Baekhyun and I really would like to investigate your flat now. I have no idea what we’ll even accomplish but he has some ideas in mind,” he said in one breath.

Minseok blinked at him.

 “Sit down,” he said quickly and Jongdae complied. “Uh, what do you mean?”  
Jongdae felt incredibly stupid.  
 “He said something about getting evidence,” he muttered. “You can say no. Please say no.”

Minseok started to laugh and it was such a musical sound that he momentarily forgot his embarrassment.

 “It’s alright with me,” he said. “I’m genuinely interested in where this’ll go so I’d be glad to have you investigate.”  
Jongdae smiled at him.  
 “I feel like this is the beginning of a terrible horror movie,” he said.  
 “Nothing will be worse than the _Paranormal Activity_ series,” Minseok said. Jongdae laughed.  
 “I’ll never understand why they’re so scary,” Jongdae said with a shake of his head. “It’s just jump-scares!”

Then before he realised it he fell into an incredibly pleasant conversation with Minseok. He was able to contain his nerves and he found that it was actually a very natural feeling to converse with Minseok.

 “Is that Americano?” Jongdae asked, pointing to Minseok’s nearly finished coffee.  
 “Yeah, it’s my favourite,” he said. Jongdae smiled eagerly.  
 “Mine too!” he said and he was sure he saw Minseok’s eyes widen.  
 “It’s not that great here, sadly,” he said with a small sigh.  
“But it’s the only one I can afford so I can’t really be too fussy,” Jongdae laughed. “You should tell me which place makes the best Americanos.”

Minseok smiled in a way that could be interpreted as a slight smirk with his head tilted to the side.

 “I’ll show you sometime, actually,” he said and Jongdae thought he’d misheard him. Then Minseok glanced at his computer and sighed.  
 “I’ve got to go to a meeting now,” he said. “But you guys can come around this Friday. I’m assuming you’ll come in the evening for the ambiance?”  
 “Yes, that’d be great,” Jongdae said with a laugh. “Thanks again, Minseok. Enjoy your meeting.”  
 “I won’t,” Minseok chuckled. “Bye, Jongdae.”  
 “Bye.”

He watched Minseok leave with a slightly dazed feeling. Had Minseok actually suggested asking him out? Was that a flirty smirk? Just what was flirting anyway? Jongdae noticed that Minseok had seemed more at ease with him than when he was with Baekhyun and Chanyeol and he felt very flattered.

The two suddenly appeared out of nowhere with twin grins.

 “You look very pleased,” Baekhyun remarked.  
 “That was actually like watching a rom-com,” Chanyeol said.

Jongdae pursed his lips.

 “He invited us over this Friday to do this ridiculous investigation,” Jongdae said.  
 “Maybe we’ll just lock you two inside for a date,” Baekhyun snickered and Jongdae kicked him under the table.

* * *

 

It was a strange feeling walking past the droves of students making their way off campus for a night out while Jongdae and his friends instead went to Chanyeol’s building to find evidence that Minseok’s flat was haunted.

Baekhyun looked very serious while Chanyeol was fiddling with his hands. Jongdae was just glad at the excuse to spend some time with Minseok.

Baekhyun knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by Minseok. He was wearing shorts and an oversized hoodie and his hair was slightly damp.  Jongdae knew he was smiling far too widely when he greeted him.

 “Have you guys eaten?” Minseok asked while they removed their shoes.  
 “I made a wholesome last supper,” Jongdae said and Minseok laughed.  
 “Jongdae, this isn’t a joke,” Baekhyun said. Jongdae narrowed his eyes at him.  
 “That’s why you brought an Ouija board from a toy shop, right?”

Chanyeol’s jaw dropped.

 “Baekhyun! I told you not to buy it! Those things always make it worse!” he fretted.  
 “It’s okay, Chanyeol. I know what I’m doing,” Baekhyun said gravely.

Minseok seemed to be containing his laughter.

 “I brought you some wine as an apology,” Jongdae said as he produced the bottle from his bag. “I’m mostly sorry because it’s the only one I could afford.”

Minseok laughed as he took the cheap wine from him.  
 “Thanks, but you really didn’t have to. You guys can start, er, doing your thing,” he said as he went to put down the bottle.

Baekhyun knelt on the floor and produced the Ouija board from his backpack and set it up on the low table.

 “Minseok, do you have any candles?” he asked and Jongdae slapped his palm to his forehead.  
 “I have a torch?”

Jongdae was really starting to question his life when the four of them were sitting around the Ouija board with only a torch to illuminate the room.

 “Okay, everyone put your index finger on the planchette,” Baekhyun said. “Just touch it lightly. And don’t take it off until we’ve said goodbye.”

Jongdae reluctantly followed Baekhyun’s instructions. He was slightly mortified that Minseok had also been dragged into it but Baekhyun insisted that he was integral to the séance seeing as it was his flat.

 “Hello,” Baekhyun said quietly as he guided the planchette towards the corresponding word.

Jongdae wanted to make a snide remark about how the board was all in English but he kept quiet. He could hear Chanyeol breathing loudly in his ear and it was probably the least ominous thing he had ever experienced.

 “Is there anyone here with us?” Baekhyun asked formally. Unsurprisingly there was no response. Jongdae glanced at Minseok. He looked very curious as though he were watching an interesting movie and he was glad that he wasn’t disdainful.

Then Jongdae felt the planchette move beneath his finger. He watched it slide to ‘Yes’. Chanyeol gasped.

 “What is your name?” Baekhyun asked.

Nothing happened for a moment until the planchette slowly moved to the letter L. Jongdae was quite sure that it was actually Chanyeol who was unconsciously pushing it seeing as he had the biggest fingers.

 “L?”

But it remained still and nothing happened.

 “Like L from _Death Note_?” Jongdae muttered and Minseok giggled beside him. Baekhyun gave them pointed looks.

 “Er, is that it?” Baekhyun asked. The planchette remained still.

 “Right. How old are you?”

Again the planchette didn’t move and Jongdae wasn’t fazed. He knew that Ouija boards only seemed to work because everyone unconsciously moved the planchette by themselves without realising it.

 “How did you die?”

Chanyeol tensed at the question but nothing happened.

 “When did you die?”

 “Are you a man or a woman?”

 “Why are you here?”

 “Are you a good spirit?”

 “For fuck’s sakes, Baekhyun, I’m falling asleep,” Jongdae groaned.

This was the biggest waste of his time. He removed his finger from the planchette and Baekhyun and Chanyeol gasped in horror.

 “Jongdae!” Baekhyun said and he grabbed his hand to put his finger back, resulting in them pushing the planchette to ‘No’.

 “Wait does that mean – “  
 “We literally just moved it ourselves. Can we say goodbye and end this?” Jongdae said.  
 “Jongdae, the assignment is the whole reason we’re doing this!” Baekhyun hissed.  
 “At this point I’d rather fail,” he said dryly. “Ask it to do something.”  
 “Jongdae – “  
 “If you’re really here then turn off the torch,” Jongdae said loudly and he felt Chanyeol trembling beside him.

The torch suddenly turned off and Chanyeol and Baekhyun let out shrieks several octaves above their vocal ranges.

Jongdae doubled over with laughter and Minseok turned the torch back on.

 “Thank you for your time! Goodbye!” Baekhyun spluttered as he moved the planchette to the corresponding word.

 “Jongdae, this is not funny!” Baekhyun cried.

Minseok was now laughing with Jongdae and it was a new type of laugh that he hadn’t heard before. It was nothing short of a delighted high-pitched giggle and it was music to his ears.

 Chanyeol scrambled up to turn on the main light and Jongdae was now rolling on his back and clutching his sides.

 “Minseok, you’re the last one who should be laughing!” Baekhyun exclaimed. Minseok wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and stood up.

 “I don’t believe in any of this,” he said with a shrug. Jongdae quickly got up.  
 “You see? It’s all in your head, Baekhyun,” he said smugly. “Those types of torches turn on and off so easily.”  
 “Yes, if they’re touched!” Baekhyun said. “None of us moved it!”  
 “If anything it was Chanyeol’s breathing that moved it,” Jongdae said.

He was very smug as he watched Baekhyun irritably pack away the board.

 “Can we look in your room to see if there’s any activity there?” Baekhyun asked Minseok. Jongdae groaned loudly  
 “Yeah, it’s fine. Are you alright, Jongdae?” Minseok said with a small laugh.  
 “I don’t want us to bother you,” he said and Minseok shook his head.  
 “Really, don’t worry about it,” he said. Then he reached out his hand and lightly touched Jongdae's arm and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

They followed Minseok to the bedroom and it was so neat that Jongdae was afraid of messing it up unless he stood with his arms crossed. There was a pink fox toy on the middle of the bed and it was the only thing that stood out in the minimalistic room.

Baekhyun stared at everything intently as though investigating a crime scene.

 “How well do you sleep?” he asked.  
 “Not very well, actually,” Minseok said. “But I stay up late and wake up early so I suppose it’s not the best.”  
 “Do you have weird dreams?”

Jongdae frowned at Baekhyun as he thought he was being rather intrusive but Minseok didn’t seem to mind.

 “I don’t remember my dreams. Though I sometimes have sleep paralysis,” he said. Baekhyun shuddered. Chanyeol was holding him by the shoulders now and still quaking as his eyes darted around the room.

 “Minseok you could have said that you dream about unicorns every night and they’d still react like that,” Jongdae said as he rolled his eyes.

 “Jongdae, you won’t be so brave when something serious actually happens,” Baekhyun snapped. Jongdae felt some irritation rise within him.  
 “Really? Then put me in a scary situation and we’ll see exactly how I react,” he said sharply.

Chanyeol shook his head adamantly but now Jongdae could see that Baekhyun’s mischievously competitive side was overriding his superstitious fear.  
 “Minseok! Would you mind if we locked him in your cupboard?” Baekhyun said to Jongdae’s horror.  
 “Er, that’s fine,” Minseok said with a shrug. “Anything to help with your assignment, right?”

Jongdae was starting to wonder if Minseok was a little bit stupid or just far too accommodating. He settled on the latter because he gave him a reassuring smile as if to say that he really didn’t mind that Jongdae was stepping inside his cupboard.

Baekhyun gave Jongdae a spiteful glare before pushing him further inside and closing the doors and shrouding him in darkness. He tried not to mess up the clothes but the hangers were poking him so he had to shove some of them aside.

 “Two minutes starting now!” Baekhyun announced from the other side.

Jongdae crossed his arms irritably. This was even more ridiculous than the Ouija board and he wondered if Minseok would ever consider taking him out for coffee after this.

He admitted to himself that he had only resorted to this because he was desperate for a good mark on the assignment, but now that he thought about it he realised that he also wanted an excuse to see Minseok’s flat and to just be around him.

Whenever he thought about him he got butterflies in his stomach. Unlike Chanyeol and Baekhyun he wouldn’t be able to contain his feelings forever so he knew he had to be rational about it and take some initiative.

He was thinking about how to casually ask Minseok out on a date when he felt something brush against his ankle. He thought nothing of it as he was focused on how to get Minseok alone because he would rather die than ask him out in front of Chanyeol and Baekhyun.  

 “Two minutes are up!” Baekhyun announced as the doors wrenched open.  
 “Thanks for wasting two minutes of my life,” Jongdae said as he stepped out. “Now one of you has to do it!”

Jongdae knew he was now being petty but he didn’t care at this point anymore.

 “Please don’t make me!” Chanyeol pleaded. Baekhyun gently held his hand.  
 “I don’t mind doing it,” Minseok said. He looked highly entertained.  
 “It’s at your own risk,” Baekhyun said.

Minseok smiled as he stepped into the cupboard and closed the doors.

Jongdae ambled around the room looking at the furniture. He was glad that Minseok seemed to be enjoying himself. Perhaps investigating his flat wasn’t a total waste of time.

Only one minute had passed and Jongdae heard a small sound of surprise from within the cupboard.

 “Minseok?” Baekhyun asked. He barely waited a second for a response before he wrenched the doors open. Minseok blinked in surprise.  
 “Are the two minutes up?” he asked and stepped out.  
 “I thought you made a sound,” Baekhyun said.  
 “Oh, I felt something on my foot,” he said.  
 “Same,” Jongdae said.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol gaped at them.

 “Can you now admit that I’m braver than you?” Jongdae said, smirking smugly.

Baekhyun’s expression quickly changed to a frown. He wordlessly got inside the cupboard and slammed the doors shut.

 “Baekhyun…” Chanyeol whined under his breath. He looked thoroughly stressed.  
 “Two minutes starting now,” Jongdae announced.  
 “Relax, Chanyeol,” he said and he placed a hand on his arm. He looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Minseok looked slightly concerned for him.

A minute had barely passed before Baekhyun let out a bloodcurdling scream and burst out the cupboard and straight into Chanyeol’s arms.

 “SOMETHING TOUCHED ME!” he shrieked. His face was white and Jongdae couldn’t even focus on the fact that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were huddling together against the wall because his reaction was so alarming.

 “Maybe it’s a spider or something,” Minseok said as he warily approached the cupboard. He looked through the clothes and on the cupboard floor while Jongdae gaped at his friends.

 “Baekhyun, I’m never letting you watch another horror movie ever again. This isn’t good for your mental health,” he said. Baekhyun extracted himself from Chanyeol and he was breathing heavily.

 “Jongdae how can you not believe this? Like, the facts are right before your eyes!”  
 “You’re so scared that you’re just escalating normal things that have rational explanations,” Jongdae said.

Baekhyun now looked rather shaken and Chanyeol moved to drape an arm around his shoulders.

 “Look, in the morning we should just talk to the landlord and ask about the building’s history. We can also interview Minseok about it. Is that alright, Minseok?” Jongdae asked.  
 “Sure. Do you want to do it now or another time?” he said. He was very calm for someone who had just witnessed Baekhyun’s behaviour.  
 “Ah, I think I should come around tomorrow. It’s a bit late now and I think if we stay any longer then either Chanyeol or Baekhyun will have a heart attack.”  
 “Tomorrow’s fine. I can only do from seven, though. I’ve got soccer practice and work,” Minseok said. Jongdae was starting to feel rather giddy at the prospect of interviewing Minseok.  
 “That’s great,” Jongdae said. “Thanks again for putting up with all of this, Minseok.”

Minseok smiled at him and gestured for him to follow him out the room. Jongdae had entirely forgotten that Chanyeol and Baekhyun were there.

 “It’s quite entertaining actually,” Minseok said with a small laugh. “I spend so much time working so this is a nice respite.”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun uttered hurried goodbyes with small bows before practically running out.

 “I’m really sorry about them,” Jongdae said quickly. Minseok shook his head.  
 “Jongdae, don’t worry so much. I don’t think you’re rude or anything,” he said.

Jongdae smiled at him. Minseok was really so calm and collected and Jongdae felt at ease with him.  
 “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a nod.  
 “Bye, Jongdae.”

Jongdae walked into Chanyeol’s flat with a wide grin.

 “You’re actually insane,” Baekhyun muttered. He was sitting close to Chanyeol on the sofa. Jongdae rolled his eyes.

 “Well I’ve got a date with Minseok tomorrow at seven – “  
He gasped when he realised his error but it was too late.  
 “INTERVIEW! I meant an INTERVIEW!” he shouted but Baekhyun and Chanyeol were howling with laughter and making incoherent noise.

They jumped up and started dancing around him ridiculously.

 “Jongdae likes Minseok! Jongdae likes Minseok!” they chanted whilst clapping their hands and Jongdae tried to hit them.  
 “Shut up! He can probably hear you!” he wailed.  
 “You’re blushing!” Baekhyun shrieked.

Jongdae took a cushion from the sofa and threw it at his face and the impact sent Baekhyun flying and Chanyeol collapsed with laughter.

 “Maybe it will result in a date!” Jongdae huffed, trying to ignore the heat in his face. “Unlike you two I recognise a crush when I have one!”

Baekhyun shot him an alarmed look but Chanyeol was still too busy laughing to have heard Jongdae anyway.

 “I’m tired. Let’s go back to our place,” Baekhyun said quickly as he stood up.  
 “But I don’t want to sleep alone!” Chanyeol whined.  
 “You’re obviously coming with,” Baekhyun huffed.  
Jongdae thought he deserved a medal for containing himself.

* * *

 

Jongdae was in a constant state of giddiness for the whole of Saturday. He had desperately tried to commit himself to doing other work but his mind kept drifting back to Minseok’s lopsided gummy smile and the way his fringe sometimes fell into his eyes and then he would be grinning serenely at his computer screen.

When it was six o’clock he was standing in front of his mirror with all of his clothes strewn about the room and he was mildly panicking. Obviously he didn’t want to dress up because that would be too much, but at the same time Minseok had only ever seen him dressed like an unorganised student – which he was – and he thought that he had worn his sweatpants far too much.

 “Jongdae can I have some milk?” Baekhyun asked as he burst into the room without knocking. Jongdae jumped and Baekhyun gaped at the room.  
 “Are you moving out or something?”  
 “You can use my milk, just help me pick something to wear,” Jongdae said fretfully. To his extreme annoyance Baekhyun laughed at him.

 “I’ve never seen you so flustered before,” he snickered. “And all for an _interview_.”  
 “Help me or get out,” Jongdae grumbled.

Baekhyun picked out a pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt and threw them at him.  
 “There. It’s comfortable and classic without even trying,” he said.  
 “Thanks for the pearl of wisdom,” Jongdae said. “Are you and Chanyeol going to light some candles tonight?”

Baekhyun’s face reddened.

 “We’re going to have a _Harry Potter_ marathon and you’re not invited so don’t come back until tomorrow!” he said indignantly before storming out and slamming the door.

Jongdae thought that he shouldn’t have made fun of Baekhyun because karma was working against him by making him incredibly nervous when he stood outside Minseok’s door and knocked hesitantly.

 “Hello, Jongdae,” he said brightly when he opened. He was also wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt and Jongdae made a mental note to thank Baekhyun for his fashion advice. His eyes widened slowly as he glanced around the corridor.  
 “Aren’t Baekhyun and Chanyeol here?”  
 “Nah, they’re back home watching movies. I think they’re too scared to ever come back here,” Jongdae said and Minseok smiled widely.

He gestured for him to come inside.

 “Again, this is for your troubles,” Jongdae said as he produced a cheap bottle of wine from his bag.  
 “Oh, you really shouldn’t have,” Minseok said.  
 “You must think we’re alcoholics,” Jongdae said as they went to the kitchen.  
 “No, I know you’re just frugal students,” Minseok laughed. “Have you eaten?”  
 “Just some instant noodles.”

Minseok was opening on his fridge anyway.

 “I made dinner and there’re leftovers I know I won’t finish. I insist that you have some,” he said. Jongdae was taken aback.  
 “I can’t,” he stuttered. Minseok turned and looked at him in a way that reminded him of his older friend Junmyeon. It was almost a type of parental look.  
 “Jongdae, instant noodles are not food. You should have some vegetables,” he said and he was already taking a bowl out the fridge before Jongdae could protest.

Jongdae was very happy to eat such a wholesome meal – all the food groups were present and it tasted amazing – with Minseok sitting across from him drinking the wine.

 “This is real adult food,” he said before he could stop himself. He suddenly felt his face redden as Minseok burst out laughing.  
 “Aren’t you an adult too?” he gasped. “Do you still live in the residence?”  
 “No, I share a flat with Baekhyun,” Jongdae said, staring at his food with some shyness. “I do the cooking. I don’t mind but budgeting is rough, hey. It’s the end of the month so all we have is noodles.”  
 “I know what you mean,” Minseok said with a nod. “It gets better though.”

Minseok started giving him tips on budgeting and general adult life and Jongdae was absorbed in his every word. He had cleaned his plate without realising it and listened intently to Minseok.

 “Oh, it’s been an hour,” Minseok said when he glanced at his watch and he laughed. “I don’t want you to stay for too long because it’s not safe to walk home in the dark.”  
 “Oh, right,” Jongdae said. He quickly took out his laptop from his bag.

Minseok stood up and took his empty plate from him but he made to grab it back and succeeded in grabbing his hand instead.  
 “Let me wash up,” he spluttered as he jumped up.  
 “I don’t mind,” Minseok said. He was smiling in a way that made Jongdae incredibly shy so he quickly sat back down and allowed Minseok to wash the plate.

He waited for Minseok to sit down before starting the interview.

 “Right. Er, what’s your full name?” he asked with some awkwardness.  
 “Kim Minseok.”

Jongdae typed in a few sentences while Minseok sat in silence. Jongdae had to ask him some standard questions that were a part of the assignment requirements before he could ask him about the flat.

 “Baekhyun said he spoke to your landlord this morning and that this place was built in the 80s,” Jongdae said. “The 80s is honestly the least scary time period.”  
Minseok laughed.  
 “I thought it was older considering the pipe problems,” he said. “But surely flats can’t even be haunted? Isn’t it always houses?”  
 “Baekhyun said the same thing,” Jongdae said with a sigh. “Anyways, what would you describe your religious views as?”

Minseok pursed his lips as he thought and Jongdae caught himself staring at his long eyelashes.

 “Nothing? But I wouldn’t say I’m atheist either,” he said after a moment.  
 “Baekhyun said the same but it’s apparently not the case when he’s scared,” Jongdae scoffed as he typed.

 “Baekhyun lives with you, right?” Minseok asked. Jongdae nodded.  
 “Chanyeol’s the unofficial third roommate just because he’s so scared of this building,” Jongdae laughed.

He asked him some more questions about his experiences living in the flat.

 “Last night the outside light turned on by itself, so that’s something new,” Minseok remarked. “It’s rather annoying actually because that’ll make my electricity bill go up.”  
 “Tell your landlord,” Jongdae said. “He can’t make you pay for that.”  
 “Hmm. It’s tricky because there’s no cause of why – ah, there it is!”

He pointed behind Jongdae and he turned around in his chair to see that the light of the laundry area and balcony was on. Minseok was frowning and he suddenly looked his age.

He got up and Jongdae watched as he turned the light off.  
 “I’ve checked the fuse box so many times that I might as well be studying electrical engineering,” Minseok said.

Jongdae was about to speak but a sudden chill came over him and he was taken by surprise.

 “Is it just me or did it get cold all of a sudden?” Jongdae asked and he shivered slightly. Minseok furrowed his brows ran his hands up his arms.  
 “I’m cold too,” he said. “I think the air conditioner malfunctions.”  
 “Isn’t that also a ghost thing?” Jongdae said. “I’ll write it down.”

Minseok left the room for a moment and when he returned he handed Jongdae an oversized sweatshirt that he had seen him wear before.

 “When it gets cold it stays cold for a while,” he said as he sat down.

Jongdae felt very flustered and nearly got tangled up in the sweatshirt as he pulled it over his head. It smelt faintly of laundry powder and it was very warm.  
 “Thanks,” he said, keeping his eyes intently on his computer screen.

Then suddenly a bizarre idea came to his mind.

 “Minseok…how would you feel about pranking Baekhyun?” he said and there was the faint feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

Minseok grinned at him.  
 “It seems cruel,” he said. “But tell me what you have in mind.”  
 “Take me to your bathroom,” Jongdae said as he stood up with his phone in his hand.

The bathroom was incredibly small and they both stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the mirror.

 “Let’s do that stupid Bloody Mary thing and I’ll film it,” Jongdae said without trying to contain his giddiness.  
 “You must turn off the light out of the frame after I give the signal,” he said. Minseok also seemed to be rather giggly and Jongdae was glad that he was entertaining him.  
 “What’s the signal?” he asked. He moved his hand so that it hovered over the light switch on the wall.  
 “After I say it for the third time just wait a moment and I’ll complain about it or something,” Jongdae said. He held up his phone with the camera open and held it so that he and Minseok were both in the frame.  
 “Right.”

He pressed the record button and smiled at his reflection in the mirror.

 “Baekhyun, we wish you were here to see this!” he said and Minseok bit his lip to contain his laughter.  
 “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary!” Jongdae said loudly.

He was quiet for five seconds and pretended to be looking around the bathroom. He gently nudged Minseok ever so slightly in his side.

 “You see, Baekhyun!”

Then Minseok turned off the light and plunged them into darkness and Jongdae stopped recording the video and burst out laughing. The light turned on again and Minseok was laughing with him and bouncing on his feet excitedly as Jongdae sent the video to Baekhyun.

 “I feel like I’m at a sleepover,” Minseok laughed.  
 “Ah, that reminds me! Have you ever tried the food from the shop around the corner here?” Minseok asked.  
 “No. Chanyeol just pilfers food from my place,” Jongdae replied.  
 “Let’s go quickly! You have to try their coffee,” Minseok said excitedly.

He grabbed Jongdae’s hand and steered him out the bathroom and Jongdae felt slightly dazed. His hand was small but his grip was incredibly tight.

He grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter as they passed and Jongdae had barely put on his shoes when Minseok was unlocking the door. But when he turned the doorknob the door remained closed.

 “Ugh, not again,” he muttered. He tugged on the doorknob with all his bodyweight and slipped backwards.  
 “Minseok!”

Jongdae just caught him before he fell over his own shoes. He barely had time to marvel at how Minseok was slightly smaller than he was and how snugly he fit in his arms before he pulled away.

 “Sorry,” Minseok said quickly. He tried to open the door again before making a sound of frustration. He glanced at his watch.  
 “It’s way too late to call the landlord or even Chanyeol,” he muttered.  
 “Hey, don’t stress,” Jongdae said. “I’m sure with enough fiddling around we can fix it.”

Jongdae felt that he was exerting a lot of physical strength that he didn’t possess in his attempt to open the door.

 “Are you sure that Chanyeol opened it using brute strength?” Jongdae panted as they both collapsed on the sofa in defeat. “It didn’t just magically fix itself, right?”  
 “I don’t know. Isn’t Chanyeol pretty strong? I mean, he’s so big,” Minseok said and Jongdae burst out laughing.  
 “You know I didn’t say anything that day but Chanyeol’s actually pretty weak,” he said. “He always loses when we wrestle.”  
 “Ah, well then it must have come right by itself,” Minseok said. He ran his hand through his hair and Jongdae couldn’t tear his eyes away from his face.

The notification sound on his phone made him jump.  
 “Baekhyun’s phoning!” he said excitedly. “Hello?”  
 “Jongdae what the FUCK – “  
 “JONGDAE!”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s shrieks deafened him through the speaker and he flinched and held the phone at arms’ length.

 “God, don’t scream – “  
 “Did you even watch the video, you stupid bastard?” Baekhyun screamed. “Get out of there right now!”  
 “What are you on about?” Jongdae said. “Wait a minute.”

He cut the call and played the video. Minseok leaned closer against him to watch and he held his breath because their thighs were pressed together ever so slightly.

Minseok chuckled at Jongdae reciting Bloody Mary in the video. Then the lights turned off and that was the end of the video. Jongdae phoned Baekhyun and he was aware that Minseok remained close beside him.

 “Baekhyun, what’s the problem?” he groaned.

He responded with an incoherent yell.

 “Just-just before the lights go out you can fucking see something in the mirror!” he shrieked. “I’m telling you one last time! Get out now!”  
 “Well, we can’t because the doorknob jammed again,” Jongdae said.  
 “Are you serious?” Baekhyun squealed. “Chanyeol! Let’s go rescue them – “

But suddenly a loud clap of thunder made Jongdae and Minseok jump and he heard Baekhyun scream on the other side of the phone.

 “Don’t go out in a storm,” Jongdae said sternly. “You’ll get hit by lightning or something.”  
 “Jongdae I don’t want you and Minseok to die,” Chanyeol wailed.  
 “It’s alright, Chanyeol,” Minseok said quickly. “Really, Jongdae was just pranking you two.”  
 “Hey, you were in on it too!” Jongdae said indignantly and Minseok smirked at him and hit him lightly on the knee.  
 “We’ll figure something out, guys. Don’t worry,” Jongdae said. “Alright?”

Baekhyun grunted in response.  
 “Don’t die, dammit!” he said before cutting the call.

 “Sometimes I wonder what he’s smoking because I’d like some too,” Jongdae said with a shake of his head.  
 “Wait, play the video again and just pause it when I turn off the lights,” Minseok said. His chin was practically resting on Jongdae’s shoulder and it took a lot of effort to steady his heartbeat.

He played the video again and Minseok quickly reached over to pause it. Jongdae’s eyes widened and he squinted at the phone screen.

 “Is that…what?”

In the frozen frame he saw Minseok smiling faintly while he wore an expression of feigned shock, but between the two of them there was what looked like a strange shadow.

 “That’s weird,” Minseok said. He sounded pleasantly surprised and Jongdae appreciated that he was a rational person. He could barely imagine Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s initial reactions.  
 “It’s probably just a shadow or something,” Jongdae said with a shrug. “Anyways, should we try at the door again?”

Minseok glanced at his watch.

 “It’s past ten,” he said. He looked hesitant for a moment. “Even if we can get it open, I wouldn’t want you walking home alone at this hour.”  
Jongdae felt his gut clench in anticipation.  
 “I’d prefer it if you slept over actually,” Minseok said rather quickly but he maintained strong eye-contact with Jongdae.  
 “It would just give me peace of mind.”  
 “I don’t mind,” he said with a determined effort to not stutter. “At any rate your couch seems more comfortable than Chanyeol’s.”  
 “Oh, I’ll take the couch. You can have the bed,” Minseok said.  
 “No ways. You already leant me your sweater and gave me dinner,” Jongdae argued.  
Minseok tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.  
 “You have no choice because this is my flat,” he said sternly. “Although it may possibly be haunted, but I still pay the rent.”

Jongdae laughed and felt more at ease.

 “Fine, if you insist,” he said. “Thank God I showered before I came here.”  
 “I’ll lend you some pyjamas and don’t say no,” Minseok said as he stood up and beckoned for Jongdae to follow him.

He felt very giddy as he followed Minseok to his room. He handed him a neatly folded pair of baby blue flannel pyjamas before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Jongdae changed quickly and he marvelled that Minseok was actually someone who wore proper matching pyjamas. He should really aspire to be more like Minseok. The pants and sleeves were slightly short but he hardly minded because they were made from the softest cotton. He pulled the sweater over his head because it was still rather chilly and he grinned to himself like a giddy teenager. Despite having only learnt Minseok’s last name a few hours ago he felt very much like his boyfriend.

He left the room to join Minseok on the sofa. He noticed how Minseok’s eyes had quickly scanned over his body and he tried to contain his giddiness.

 “Cute, Jongdae,” he said with a laugh.  
 “I’m sure they’re even cuter on you because they actually fit you,” he replied.  
 “What should we even do now seeing as we’re trapped in here?” Minseok said.  
 “You don’t have a gaming console or anything?”  
Minseok shook his head.  
 “Have you watched _Naruto_?”

* * *

 

 “Okay, I’m sorry but Sasuke is a fucking idiot,” Minseok said loudly and Jongdae burst out laughing. He could never imagine Minseok swearing so vehemently about a fictional character.  
 “It only gets worse. Actually just stop after the Pain Arc and save yourself the suffering,” Jongdae said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

They had watched the few seasons of _Naruto_ he had on his laptop with the addition of the cheap wine and some of Minseok’s beers. Jongdae couldn’t remember ever feeling so content while he sat on the couch sharing a blanket with Minseok with beer cans littered around them.

Minseok wasn’t exactly drunk but he was certainly louder than usual and Jongdae relished in it. During particularly epic fight scenes Minseok would cling onto his arm and exclaim loudly. Jongdae knew that he himself was actually quite drunk but it only made everything more entertaining.

 “I need to use the bathroom,” Minseok announced as he quickly got up. “Don’t start the next episode without me!”  
 “I won’t,” Jongdae chuckled as he watched Minseok scurry off.

He idly scrolled through his phone and saw about ten unread messages from Baekhyun. He quickly typed a response saying that he was fine and only then did he realise that it was long past midnight.

After a few seconds Baekhyun responded.

_Damn you’re still awake? Did you make a move yet?_

Jongdae rolled his eyes before typing his response.

_I’ve been asking you the same thing for four years so shut up._

Minseok returned and Jongdae quickly stowed his phone away.

 “I just realised that we drank all of my beer,” he said as he started collecting the cans. Jongdae stood up to try and help him but he stumbled and fell back onto the sofa.

 “I think you had more than me,” Minseok laughed and the cans nearly spilled out his arms.  
 “I don’t have a very high tolerance,” Jongdae said with a sheepish smile. When he was drunk he wasn’t really any different from his usual self. If anything he was less prone to whining, a fact that Baekhyun loved to remind him of. Minseok had a faint blush on his cheeks and was still laughing happily to himself as he threw away the cans.

 “Alright, let’s carry on,” he said, sitting down closely beside Jongdae.

The episode played for a few minutes before the light above them started flickering. Minseok didn’t seem to notice as he was absorbed in the episode but Jongdae glanced up warily.

Then without warning they were plunged into darkness. Minseok groaned. He got up and went to turn it back on but nothing happened.

 “I don’t believe it. I think the power’s gone,” he said.  
 “Ugh, it is,” Jongdae said when he saw that his laptop was no longer charging. “Do you think we short-circuited it?”  
 “I don’t think so. Your computer’s been plugged in for a while now,” Minseok said. He used the light of his phone to guide him as he shuffled to his room and returned with the same torch they’d used for the séance.

 “Perhaps it’s a sign that we should go to sleep,” Minseok said, shining the torchlight on his watch.  
 “Yeah. I don’t want to sober up so I’d rather just sleep,” Jongdae admitted with a chuckle.  
 “Hopefully it’ll be back soon. This isn’t the first time it’s happened,” Minseok said.

Jongdae stood up slowly and found that he was slightly unsteady.

 “Do you need help?” Minseok asked with a laugh as he took a hold of Jongdae’s arm. Jongdae couldn’t find his words so he allowed Minseok to guide him to the room with the torch lighting the way.

 “The bed should be warm enough but there’re more blankets in the cupboard if you need,” Minseok said. He waited while Jongdae climbed under the duvet.  
 “Thanks, Minseok. Really,” he said with an attempt to convey some sincerity in his drunken state.  
 “It’s nothing. Goodnight, Jongdae,” Minseok said and even in the darkness Jongdae could see his smile.  
 “Goodnight, Minseok.”

Minseok shuffled out and closed the door behind him and left Jongdae in the darkness. He didn’t mind it at all as some outside light filtered in through the window. Jongdae felt that he was smiling widely and he knew it had nothing to do with his drunkenness. He felt that he had grown so much closer to Minseok in the hours he had spent there. He never thought that he would actually be grateful to be subjected to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s superstitious fears because if it wasn’t for the ghost nonsense then he wouldn’t even be lying in Minseok’s bed wearing his pyjamas and sweatshirt.

Jongdae quickly fell asleep with a wide smile on his face.

 

Jongdae was in the middle of a very pleasant dream involving him and Minseok holding hands at a coffee shop when he felt a strange cold sensation and he woke up.

It was still incredibly dark with only a faint light from the window illuminating a patch on the wall. His eyes were only partially open and then Jongdae realised that he could not move a muscle. In the corner by the door the darkness was like an abyss and he could make out something like the silhouette of a tall person. The shadow was merely there and it made him extremely unsettled.

He was still half-asleep so he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming but the fact that he couldn’t move was starting to make him panic. He felt his heart-rate increase and then he started to worry about if he started to hyperventilate because then he still wouldn’t be able to move.

He tried to open his mouth to yell out but nothing happened.

The shadow was still there and Jongdae felt his panic spike. He found that he could not even close his eyes now because he felt that he really didn’t want to look at the shadow anymore.

Then there was the sound of movement and Jongdae was unable to see anything in the darkness. But it was a moment until he felt something warm on his forehead and he jumped with a gasp.

 “Jongdae! Are you okay?”

It was Minseok and he was sitting on the edge of the bed leaning over Jongdae. His senses had suddenly returned and he quickly sat up. The shadow had disappeared.

 “I heard you making some noise,” Minseok said.  
 “I think I had sleep paralysis,” Jongdae said. He still felt a bit disorientated and the amount of beer he had drunk certainly wasn’t helping.  
 “Oh, I see,” Minseok said. He removed his hand from his forehead.  
 “Why were you awake? Surely I wasn’t that loud?” Jongdae asked.

Minseok was silent for a moment and although Jongdae couldn’t see him he sensed some hesitance.

 “This – this is going to sound ridiculous but I thought I felt something touch me so I woke up,” he said quickly. “I just felt…creeped out, you know? Then I heard you.”

Jongdae didn’t know what to think.

 “Right. I think we both just had too much alcohol,” he said.

He didn’t know how to reassure Minseok because he sounded very uncertain.

 “What time is it?” he asked.  
 “Just past three,” Minseok said.  
 “We haven’t been sleeping for that long then,” Jongdae said with a yawn. “Hey, isn’t three the demon hour or something?”

To his surprise Minseok didn’t laugh or show any sign of amusement. He just remained silent.

 “Don’t say that,” he said quietly. “I’m already creeped out.”

While Jongdae wanted to insist that they both knew it was all nonsense, he could not deny that he had seen a shadow in the corner of the room a few minutes ago. Then for some reason his mind drifted back to the video and the figure he had seen standing behind him and Minseok. His brain felt incredibly slow and he was letting his fear take over his logic.

 “Let’s not think about it,” he said quickly. “We should just go back to sleep.”  
 “Hmm.”

Minseok hesitated for a moment before standing up and before he could stop himself Jongdae reached out and grabbed his arm. Minseok moved into the moonlight and Jongdae could see his look of surprise and how beautiful his eyes were in the light.

 “If…if you’re scared then don’t go back to the couch,” he said quickly.  
 “You wouldn’t mind?” Minseok asked in such a small voice that Jongdae would have misheard him if not for the deathly silence of the room.  
 “Not at all. It’s your bed, Minseok,” he said and he let go of his sleeve.

Minseok quickly walked around the bed and climbed under the duvet. Jongdae tried to stay as close to the edge of the bed as possible and it was incredibly difficult to ignore the desire to move towards Minseok’s warmth.

 “Night, Jongdae,” Minseok said.  
 “Night,” Jongdae mumbled into his pillow.

But as much as he tried to fall asleep Jongdae’s mind kept thinking of every horror movie he had ever seen and it was extremely inconvenient. Flashes of _Insidious_ and _The Conjuring_ and _Sinister_ came to mind and he tried desperately to think of Minseok lying beside him. He determinedly kept his eyes shut as he absolutely did not want to look into any dark corners.

There was the slightest sound of something creaking and he nearly jumped out the bed.

 “Fuck.”  
 “Did you also hear that?” Minseok whispered.

He moved slightly closer to Jongdae. The flat was incredibly quiet and Jongdae could clearly hear Minseok’s breathing.

 “I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said despite not being entirely confident.  
 “I think we messed up,” Minseok whispered and there was the slightest note of panic in his voice.  
 “Why did we play the Bloody Mary game?”  
 “Minseok, it’s not real,” Jongdae said sternly. “We’re just a bit spooked and still very much drunk so let’s just not think about it.”

Minseok was quiet though Jongdae knew he certainly hadn’t closed his eyes.

Then the light in the living room suddenly turned on with the sound of the electricity coming back and it was enough to make Jongdae nearly jump onto Minseok’s lap.

 “Thank God,” Minseok muttered as he got up. But he hesitated before making for the door. Jongdae could see the apprehension in his face so he quickly scrambled out the bed.  
 “I’ll go with you,” he said and Minseok flashed a smile at him. He knew that he was also rather terrified if he was completely honest with himself but he could not bear to see Minseok go into the living room alone.

They quickly turned off the lights and appliances that had been left on before hurrying back to the bedroom.

 “Right. I feel better now,” Minseok said.  
 “If Baekhyun or Chanyeol ever find out about this then we’ll never hear the end of it,” Jongdae said.  
 “I’m taking this secret to the grave,” Minseok said.  
 “Pinkie promise?” Jongdae said.

Minseok held out his hand and they intertwined their little fingers and Minseok uttered a small giggle.  
 “Night, Jongdae.”  
 “Night.”

* * *

 

Jongdae was sure that his legs had brushed against Minseok at some point during the night but he had been too deep within his dreams to realise it. When he woke up he was slightly disappointed that Minseok wasn’t beside him in the bed. He yawned and the memories of their three a.m. behaviour came back to him as a slight shock.

He glanced at the pink fox toy in Minseok’s space and he felt incredibly stupid. They had just been feeding off each other’s drunken fear. Though he was rather pleased that it had resulted in him being able to sleep beside Minseok despite how terrified he had felt.

Jongdae ambled out the room just in time to bump into Minseok.

 “Morning, Minseok – “

His breath caught in his throat when he realised that Minseok was only wearing a white towel around his hips and that he was very wet. His eyes widened in alarm.

 “Sorry!” he gasped and jumped around and nearly crashed into the wall.  
 “No – sorry – I-I forgot – I thought you were asleep,” Minseok spluttered.

Jongdae clasped his hands over his eyes.

 “I’ll-I’ll just go get dressed then,” Minseok stuttered and Jongdae heard the bedroom door close.

Jongdae wanted to throw himself off the balcony. He was absolutely mortified and his heart crashed against his sternum as he paced in the living room. He had been hoping that they could have a pleasant morning and not feel awkward about having shared a bed due to their irrational fears but now it was far too late for that kind of sentiment.

He sat upright on the couch and tried to busy himself with his phone but he was internally screaming.

He was starting to think that Minseok had barricaded himself in his room – not that he would blame him – until he finally emerged fully dressed. Jongdae tried to ignore the brief memory of his naked torso that he knew was hiding beneath his baggy jersey.

 “Did you sleep well?” he asked in a forcefully calm voice.  
 “Yes, thanks,” Minseok said while avoiding his gaze. “Do you want some breakfast?”  
 “I feel bad,” Jongdae admitted.  
 “I insist,” Minseok said. He made quite a noise in the process of finding a pan and ingredients. Jongdae couldn’t stand the awkwardness and he knew that it was up to him to make Minseok feel at ease.

 “Minseok, just how drunk were we last night?” he said with a half-hearted laugh. “I never thought I’d ever be so scared of nothing.”

Minseok paused in his clattering but he still didn’t look at Jongdae.

 “To be honest, I’m not so sure if it’s nothing anymore,” he said quietly.  
 “But we were drunk, right?” Jongdae said.  
 “You don’t hallucinate, you know,” Minseok said with a small laugh. “I don’t know. I mean it seems silly now because it’s daytime, but I still feel a bit weird.”

Jongdae could now see just how tired he looked and he wondered if he had actually gotten any sleep. Now when he thought about it there had been a few instances when Minseok had looked particularly exhausted on campus and he wondered if it had anything to do with living in the flat.

But that would be utterly ridiculous. He refused to believe in the existence of ghosts or anything similar.

 “Jongdae.”

Minseok paused in his cooking process.

 “Last night I really thought I felt something touch me in my sleep. There’s no way I could have imagined it. And you know I sometimes have sleep paralysis? Well, when I do I see a shadowy figure standing in the corner of my room.”

Jongdae held his breath and he felt a wave of icy dread wash over him.

He actually didn’t really know what to think now. He felt extremely confused because he had never ever believed in ghosts or spirits of any kind and now he was starting to question everything. It was a bit of a stretch to pin both his and Minseok’s sleep paralysis experiences as coincidental. They had seen exactly the same thing and it unsettled him.

 “Jongdae, I understand if you feel uncomfortable and want to leave,” Minseok said quickly. Jongdae looked up in surprise.   
 “Do you want me to go?” he asked.  
Minseok bit his bottom lip and it made Jongdae want to pull him into a tight hug.  
 “No.”  
 “Then I’ll stay.”

Minseok looked as though he had misheard Jongdae but he smiled at him gently to reassure him. He helped Minseok make a wholesome breakfast of French toast and they ate in a comfortable silence.

 “I also saw a shadow last night,” Jongdae said after a moment.

Minseok looked at him intensely for a moment and he almost felt shy.

 “You know…this means that Baekhyun and Chanyeol are right” he said with a small laugh and the sound managed to lift Jongdae’s spirits.  
 “We’re not telling them anything,” he said and Minseok nodded in agreement.

Jongdae would rather face a legion of ghosts than admit to Baekhyun that he was right about absolutely anything.

 “Now, er, should we do something about it?” he said unsurely.  
 “The ghost?” Minseok said and it sounded so ridiculous that Jongdae couldn’t help but laugh.  
 “Yes. Casper the not-so-friendly ghost,” he said.  
 “What can we do?” Minseok asked.

He glanced around the room warily as if there was a ghost right there listening to them.

 “I don’t think a priest will help.”  
 “No, that’ll probably make it worse,” Jongdae said thoughtfully. “Maybe a shaman?”  
 “Don’t they charge a fee?” Minseok asked. “I suppose I could just live with it…”  
 “No ways. You need to get some regular, undisturbed sleep. If I’m being completely honest I was shit-scared last night.”  
Minseok nodded in agreement.  
 “Let’s think about it some other time,” he said quickly. “Last night was…a lot.” Jongdae couldn’t agree more.

 

Jongdae was very reluctant to leave Minseok because Baekhyun had been pestering him with nonstop calls to come home so that they could finish the assignment.

 “I’ll wash your pyjamas and sweatshirt,” Jongdae said. He had changed into the clothes he’d arrived in but with the addition of Minseok’s sweatshirt. He briefly thought about just never returning it but that was something very Baekhyun-ish and he had too much of a guilty conscience to do so.

 “You really don’t have to,” Minseok said.

They were standing in the doorway and Jongdae thought that even Minseok didn’t want him to leave. While the thought made his heart soar it also made him slightly sad because he didn’t want Minseok to be alone in the flat.

 “I insist,” Jongdae said, imitating the way Minseok said it and he laughed. “Thanks for everything, Minseok.”  
Minseok reached out to gently touch his arm.  
 “Anytime, Jongdae,” he said with a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat. “I had a really good time last night despite, well, _that_.”  
Jongdae smiled at him.  
 “Stay safe, please.”  
 “I’ll try my best,” he said with a small laugh. Jongdae gave a final small wave before turning to leave.

As soon as he walked through the door he was nearly bowled over by Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

 “Oh, my GOD!” Baekhyun exclaimed.  
 “You’re alive!” Chanyeol cried as he pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.  
 “Wait – is that Minseok’s sweatshirt?!”

 “Good morning to you, too,” Jongdae gasped as he pulled away from Chanyeol.  
 “You smell like beer,” Chanyeol said with narrowed eyes and Jongdae remembered that he had not showered or brushed his teeth. He was more concerned that he had grossed out Minseok.

Baekhyun gasped.

 “Did you and Minseok get drunk and hook up?!”  
 “NO!” Jongdae yelled. “What is wrong with you? We just had a chilled evening.”

He gave a very brief recount of the previous night but left out the events of three a.m. Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat on the edge of the sofa as if he were relaying gossip.

 “So, now we can finish this goddamn assignment today and hand it in tomorrow. It’s due during our nine thirty-five lecture, right?”  
 “Fuck the assignment, Jongdae. You had a _date_ with Minseok!” Baekhyun cried with the air of a teenage girl and he shook Chanyeol’s arm for emphasis.  
 “I can’t believe you got locked in there! Maybe the ghost isn’t so bad after all,” Chanyeol said with a grin.  
 “Let’s just please drop the topic and finish the work,” Jongdae pleaded.

* * *

 

Jongdae proudly held up the printed assignment for Chanyeol to see. It was past supper but it had taken them a long time to organise all of their interviews and research into a coherent form.

 “If we don’t get an A then I’m dropping out,” Jongdae said tiredly.  
 “Chanyeol will join you seeing as he hasn’t done any work because he’s been here for two days,” Baekhyun said with some sternness and Chanyeol shrunk sheepishly in his chair.  
 “Chanyeol, it’s Sunday night!” Jongdae exclaimed.  
 “I forgot,” he said. “But I’ll go now.”

He made quite a production out of gathering his backpack and clothing and food and dragged his feet to the door with the air of an abandoned dog.

 “Fine! We’ll come with you,” Baekhyun said as though he wasn’t a pushover for Chanyeol.

Jongdae rolled his eyes.

 “I’ll come too. I want to check on Minseok,” he said.  
 “What’s there to check up on? His ass?” Baekhyun snickered and Jongdae hit him hard on the arm but he and Chanyeol laughed anyway.

But when they arrived at the building Jongdae was disappointed to discover that Minseok wasn’t at home.

 “He’s probably at the library being better than us. Don’t look so sad, Jongdae,” Baekhyun said and he pinched his side.

Jongdae tried to contain his worry while he lay on the couch that night. He desperately tried to listen for any sign of movement from within Minseok’s flat but there was nothing. He supposed that he should be relieved because that meant that there was nothing unusual happening.

* * *

 

 “Jongdae?”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and for a brief moment he panicked but then he realised that it was Baekhyun.

“Are you awake?”

He really wanted to pretend that he was still asleep but there was a strangely meek tone in Baekhyun’s voice so he grunted in response and opened his eyes. It was very dark but a faint light filtered through the glass door from outside and he could make out Baekhyun hovering by the sofa.

 “What’s up?” he asked as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He moved his legs and Baekhyun sat down.  
 “Now while I was sleeping…I didn’t realise it but I’d put my arm around Chanyeol,” he said quietly. Jongdae was suddenly wide awake.  
 “Okay? Haven’t you always done that, though? Even I do it.”

Baekhyun slumped down. Jongdae could see that he was frowning.

 “I got scared because I’m scared he doesn’t feel the same way and I’ll ruin our friendship and then God knows where that’ll place you – “  
 “Baekhyun, stop.”

Jongdae placed a hand on his arm to silence him and he met his eyes. He had never seen Baekhyun look so vulnerable and unsure before. He’d always known him as the confident jokester. It really killed Jongdae that he couldn’t just sit down Chanyeol and Baekhyun and tell them that they were both madly in love with each other.

 “You don’t have to make a grand show of undying love,” he said calmly. “You know the more you try to hide it the more awkward you are.”  
 “Jongdae, I can’t bear the thought of him being weirded out,” Baekhyun muttered. “I’d rather say nothing even if it means I’ll never be with anyone else.”

Jongdae groaned.

“You’re being ridiculous. Just take him aside one day when you’re both free and won’t be interrupted. Just say that you like him as more than a friend. You don’t need to light candles or recite a poem,” he said with an effort to contain his frustration.

He threw himself back against his pillow.

 “Don’t you dare say ‘what if’ because you’ll never know until you actually do something,” he said quickly when he saw Baekhyun run his hands through his hair.  
 “Jongdae, it’s not the same as confessing to just anyone,” Baekhyun said. “This isn’t like you and Minseok. Chanyeol is like – like a part of my life, you know? I’ve known him since pre-school. He’s always there with me and I don’t want anything to change.”  
 “It won’t,” Jongdae said exasperatedly. “Please believe me, Baekhyun. If anything you’ll be exactly the same but you’ll just be gross.”  
 “But what if he just goes with it because he doesn’t want to make me feel bad?” Baekhyun said with a small note of panic.  
 “You know how soft he is! He can’t say no and he lets everyone walk over him – “  
 “Baekhyun, go to sleep. You’re overthinking this and it’s going to drive you mad,” Jongdae said sternly.

Baekhyun was silent for a moment.

 “I don’t want to go back there. I feel like I’m violating his space,” Baekhyun muttered.  
 “You always share a bed,” Jongdae groaned. “Then just sleep here if you want to. Overthinking makes everything complicated.” As much as he felt sorry for Baekhyun he really was very tired and wanted to go back to sleep.

Baekhyun sighed and he moved to squeeze himself between Jongdae and the back of the sofa, much to his annoyance.

 “There’s only so much room here,” he muttered as he felt the blanket being pulled away.  
 “Where is that light coming from anyway?” Baekhyun said. Jongdae craned his neck around to see that Chanyeol’s laundry area and balcony were illuminated by a cold light.  
 “It’s from Minseok’s side,” Jongdae said. He felt slightly uneasy about the light being on at such a late hour.  
 “Ugh, I don’t want to think about that place,” Baekhyun said and he quickly lay down. He was practically lying on top of Jongdae so he irritably turned to lie on his side.  
 “Goodnight. Don’t think about anything,” Jongdae muttered.

Jongdae was woken up by a sharp cramp in his neck and shoulder and he was unsurprised to find that Baekhyun had wrapped his arm and leg around him. As a result he was very sore and sweaty.

He unravelled himself and sat up. When he glanced at his watch he felt his heart in his throat.

 “Baekhyun! Get up! It’s nine!” he shouted as he shook him. Baekhyun sat up looking incredibly disorientated and mumbled in gibberish before his eyes widened in realisation.

 “Nine? Shit!”

They ran around the flat gathering up their belongings before they practically ran back to their own place. Jongdae knew that Chanyeol had a seven forty-five lecture but he found it strange that he hadn’t woken them up just to annoy them.

They burst into their flat and elbowed each other to get to the shower.

 “I’ll be two minutes!” Baekhyun shouted over the running water while Jongdae cursed and massaged his sore shoulder as Baekhyun had shoved him into the wall.

Baekhyun had barely managed to wrap the towel around himself before Jongdae had dragged him out the shower. He dressed without even drying himself and then the both of them hurled out the flat with dripping wet hair their arms flailing and holding onto their assignment for dear life.

They were ten minutes late for their nine thirty-five lecture and had received burning glares from the lecturer. Jongdae thought that they might as well have stayed in bed because a register had been circulated and the lecturer was too petty to mark them present due to their lateness. But he felt a sense of relief wash over him when he handed in his assignment because it meant that he was done with assignments for that module for the remainder of the term.

After they had separated for separate lectures and free periods, Jongdae waited to meet Baekhyun for lunch at the university café. He was ravenously eating his food as he was far too hungry to wait for Baekhyun. He thought of Minseok and he realised that they had still not exchanged numbers or any means of communication and he berated himself because he was anxious to check up on him.

 Then Baekhyun appeared out of nowhere and Jongdae nearly jumped. He was frowning intently and he threw himself into the chair across from Jongdae.

 “Hey, what’s up?”  
 “Chanyeol didn’t greet me,” he muttered.

He sounded very confused and Jongdae raised his eyebrows.

 “Didn’t greet you? Are you sure he saw you?” he asked. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were known for their unnecessarily animated greetings so the only possible explanation was that Chanyeol hadn’t seen him.  
 “I looked him in the eyes and he just looked away without saying anything,” Baekhyun said. Now Jongdae noted the slightest quiver in his voice.

 “That’s weird,” Jongdae said. “Maybe he was in a hurry or something?”  
 “I don’t know…”  
Baekhyun looked incredibly worried and Jongdae was quick to order him some food.  
 “Don’t stress, Baekhyun,” Jongdae said as he pushed the rest of his own food towards him. “I seriously doubt that you need to think about it.”  
Baekhyun didn’t look reassured.

Later that day when Jongdae and Baekhyun were making their way to the journalism department they spotted Chanyeol’s tall form approaching them.

Jongdae thought that he must have been hallucinating because Chanyeol looked up and made eye-contact with him before suddenly veering to the left and taking another pathway.

 “What the hell was that?” Baekhyun asked.  
 “Do you think he’s okay? Let’s go talk to him,” Jongdae said.

He and Baekhyun hurried to catch up with Chanyeol’s strides and Jongdae was shocked that he didn’t turn around when they called his name.

 “Hey, Chanyeol!” he said as he reached him and tugged on his sleeve. Chanyeol turned around and there was a strange look on his face. He pulled out his earphones.  
 “Oh, I didn’t hear you,” he muttered. He avoided Jongdae’s eyes and looked at the ground.  
 “What’s up? You seem a bit off,” he said. His expression was a strange frown that Jongdae had never seen before. His eyes were slightly narrowed.  
 “Nothing. I have to go,” he said curtly before he turned and walked away, leaving Jongdae gaping in astonishment.

He turned and saw a look of utmost devastation on Baekhyun’s face as his gaze lingered on Chanyeol.

They were silent as they trekked to the journalism department and Jongdae grew more confused by the second. He really tried to ignore it and focus on his work but it was just him and Baekhyun in the lab and it was silent. He just sat in front of the computer with a blank expression.

 “Do you think something happened back home? I mean with his family,” Jongdae said after a while. He was incredibly concerned.  
 “I’ve never seen him like this.”  
 “Is it because of me?” Baekhyun suddenly said in a monotonous voice. Jongdae raised an eyebrow.  
 "What do you mean?”  
 “What if he knew I put my arm around him and he’s grossed out and I’ve crossed the line and now he doesn’t want anything to do with me – “  
 “Calm down,” Jongdae said softly. He took Baekhyun’s trembling hand and he saw tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.  
 “I highly doubt that, Baekhyun,” he said but Baekhyun shook his head and sniffed.

He started to panic and quickly took out his phone and dialled Chanyeol’s number. But it just rang until Jongdae made a sound of frustration and stood up.

 “Come on. Let’s go see him. He can’t close the door in our faces.”

He pulled Baekhyun up by the hand and marched out the building. It was one thing for Chanyeol to act so weird but the affect it had on Baekhyun was startling and Jongdae wouldn’t stand for it.  

Campus was dark now and there wasn’t another figure in sight. Normally Jongdae would have been a bit wary but he was adamant to figure out Chanyeol’s problem.

 “Hey, Jongdae!”

He jumped at the sound of the voice and he turned to see Minseok approaching. The street lamp cast his face in stark relief and he looked very tired. Jongdae noticed that his smile faltered slightly when his eyes flitted to his and Baekhyun’s clasped hands.

 “Hi, Baekhyun,” he said. Jongdae quickly let go of his hand.  
 “Hey, Minseok,” he said. “How are you?” Baekhyun merely nodded in greeting.  
 “I’m alright. Heading home?” Minseok asked as he fell into step with them.  
 “We’re going to see Chanyeol, actually,” Jongdae said.  
 “Oh, we can walk together, then.”

Jongdae really did try to make pleasant conversation with Minseok but he was thinking about Chanyeol and about how Minseok’s expression had changed when he noticed Baekhyun and what that possibly meant. Also he couldn’t talk to Minseok about the situation in his flat and his actual wellbeing in front of Baekhyun so he felt like he was forcing painful small talk as they spoke.

He practically sprinted up the stairs of the building and he was panting when they were outside Chanyeol’s door.

He bade Minseok a brief goodbye – Baekhyun merely nodded again – and he practically pounded on Chanyeol’s door once Minseok was inside his own flat.

 “Chanyeol! Open up!” he barked. Baekhyun bit his lip and wrung his hands anxiously.

The door opened just a margin to reveal a sliver of Chanyeol’s face.

 “Sorry but – “  
 “But nothing!”

Jongdae wedged his foot between the door and the doorframe and crossed his arms.

 “You will tell us what’s bothering you right now because Baekhyun is on the verge of tears,” he said sternly.

He saw Baekhyun try to scurry away and Jongdae grabbed the back of his shirt before he could flee. He felt like a very harassed parent.

Chanyeol now looked very anxious although his brows were furrowed in his strange frown.

 “Jongdae – I – “ He stopped and bit his lip. “Can I talk to you alone?”

Jongdae was taken aback but he nodded. Chanyeol opened the door wider and he was about to step inside when he heard what was unmistakably a small cry of protest from Baekhyun. Jongdae knew that he certainly didn’t want to be left out in the corridor alone.

He pushed Baekhyun inside – ignoring that he fell over his own feet – before pulling Chanyeol out and slamming the door. He now looked rather upset.

 “What the hell is wrong with you?” Jongdae asked.  
 “You and Baekhyun slept together last night,” Chanyeol muttered to the floor.

Jongdae couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

 “Chanyeol…are you serious?”  
 “You know how I feel!”  
 “Calm down!”

Chanyeol sniffed and marched off down the corridor and Jongdae hurried after him.

 “Chanyeol do you really think that I’d betray you like that?”  
 “No! But Baekhyun seems to like you that way!” he hissed. He hastily wiped his eyes.

Jongdae wanted to hit him and comfort him at the same time.

 “Chanyeol, please trust me when I say that Baekhyun absolutely doesn’t like me as anything more than a friend,” he said softly  
 “But – “  
 “We’ve slept like that countless times! You’re just being stupid now,” Jongdae said irritably.  
 “Fine. You and Baekhyun can live happily ever after and just forget about stupid Chanyeol.”

Jongdae slapped his palm against his forehead.

 “I didn’t mean it like that but this is so frustrating to watch,” he said. “Just please go and talk to Baekhyun, for the love of God!”  
 “What must I say to him? I have nothing to say!”  
 “Don’t be so stubborn!”  
 “Er, I’m sorry to interrupt you guys, but is everything alright? I can hear Baekhyun crying next door.”

Jongdae froze at the sound of Minseok’s voice. He turned to see him hovering in his doorway looking very awkward.

 “It’s fine.”  
 “What?!”

Chanyeol bowled past Jongdae and into his flat, making sure to slam the door so hard that it reverberated on its hinges.

Jongdae sighed and shook his head. Minseok looked rather worried.

 “I’ve been trying to get them together all year now,” he explained as he rolled his eyes.  
 “Oh. I thought it was some kind of love-triangle thing,” Minseok said with a small laugh. Jongdae thought he had misheard him.  
 “Oh, my God, no,” Jongdae spluttered. He noticed how Minseok’s smile widened slightly.  
 “Well, come inside. It’s easier to eavesdrop in here,” he said.

Jongdae hurried in and followed Minseok to press their ears against the wall that separated his and Chanyeol’s flats.

 “…please don’t cry!”  
 “I…Chanyeol.”

It was rather faint for Jongdae and he scrunched his nose in concentration. While he was trying to eavesdrop his heart was also pounding because if he was not mistaken then Minseok had certainly thought that he and Baekhyun had some sort of thing going on. Had he actually been jealous? Or was Jongdae just reading into things too much?

 “…thought that you and Jongdae…”  
 “What?!”

Baekhyun’s shout had echoed through the entire building and Minseok flinched at the volume.

 “What on earth is actually happening?” Minseok whispered.  
 “Chanyeol thought Baekhyun has feelings for me,” Jongdae said as he rolled his eyes.

Minseok looked very interested as he tried to listen and Jongdae thought it was rather cute how his lips were slightly parted. But now they seemed to have lowered their voices.

 “If they don’t confess tonight then I think I’ll actually just have an intervention,” Jongdae muttered irritably. He took in Minseok’s appearance in the full light of the room and noticed that the dark circles were worse and that his hair was slightly dishevelled.  
 “Minseok, are you okay?” he asked.

Minseok pulled away from the wall. He suddenly looked rather anxious.

 “Last night I hardly slept,” he said.

Jongdae wanted to pull him into his arms and smooth down his hair and tell him that everything was going to be alright. But he couldn’t and he wasn’t even entirely sure if anything would be alright ever again because Chanyeol and Baekhyun were doing god-knows-what and he was very confused about how Minseok felt about him and there was an entire _ghost_ that had to be taken care of.

As if on cue at that moment the light flickered above them.

 “For fuck’s sakes, not now,” Jongdae muttered.

It flickered again and Minseok actually flinched and Jongdae reached out to grab his hand before he could stop himself.

 “Let’s go buy that coffee, hey? You said it’s at the corner store?” Jongdae said quickly. He just really wanted to get out of the flat and take Minseok with him.  
 “Right. I’ll get my wallet,” Minseok said before hurrying off.

Jongdae turned his back for a second and glanced warily at the light as if the ghost was hovering above him messing with the bulb when he heard the sound of a door slamming. It was Minseok’s bedroom door.

 “Minseok?” Jongdae called as he hurried to the door.  
 “Jongdae? The door just closed,” Minseok said from the other side. “It’s stuck.”

Jongdae watched the door handle wriggling around and panic rapidly coursed through his body.

 “J-Just wait. I’m sure we can open it,” he stuttered. He tried to wrestle with the handle and he was shocked to feel his hands trembling.  
 “It was just the wind,” Minseok said. “The window’s open. The wind made it close.”

He sounded like he was talking to himself rather than Jongdae but Jongdae had already abandoned any attempt at logic. He was very sure that the ghost had closed the door and locked Minseok in his room.

 “Minseok – let me get a screwdriver or something – “

But he was cut off when he heard what was unmistakably a cry of fear from within the room and before Jongdae knew it he was tearing out the flat.

He burst through Chanyeol’s door to see him and Baekhyun standing very close to each other but that was the furthest thing from his mind because right now he had to help Minseok.

 “The fucking ghost trapped Minseok in his room!” he shrieked and they sprang apart and stared at him.  
 “ _What?!_ ”  
 “Give me a weapon or some holy water! I don’t know what to do!” Jongdae cried.

Baekhyun pushed past him and rummaged through a kitchen cupboard and ran back with a strange bundle of herbs Jongdae did not recognise.

Jongdae didn’t have time to put his faith in plants or to ponder how Baekhyun had acquired such things or why they were stashed in Chanyeol’s kitchen.

He grabbed Chanyeol’s old baseball bat, a relic from his brief time on the team in high school, from his messy room and tore back to Minseok’s flat with Chanyeol and Baekhyun close behind him.

 “I’m here, Minseok!” he shouted and he didn’t know whether or not he replied because he started hitting the door handle with the bat in an attempt to break it off.

Baekhyun had lit the bundle of herbs and was flailing it around.

 “Spirit! This isn’t your home!” he said in a trembling voice. “Please just go away! I’m sorry if we pissed you off! Rest in peace!”

Jongdae ignored him as he attacked the door handle. He was desperate to get to Minseok.

Then suddenly the handle broke off and clattered to the floor. Jongdae kicked the door open to reveal Minseok sitting on the bed with his knees drawn to his chest and his face was as white as a sheet.

 “Minseok!” he cried and he tossed the bat aside. “Are you alright?” He just managed to stop himself from rushing over and pulling him into his arms.

Minseok gaped open-mouthed at him.

 “There was a massive spider,” he stuttered. “I think it’s gone into the cupboard.”

Jongdae felt the adrenaline leave him like air deflating from a balloon.

 “A…what?” he breathed. Minseok looked very confused and glanced around as if searching for hidden cameras.  
 “Did you just break down my door?”

Jongdae suddenly wanted to jump out the window because yes he had just broken down Minseok’s bedroom door to protect him from a ghost that had never existed. He was speechless.

There was a loud snort and Baekhyun and Chanyeol collapsed into a fit of laughter. Jongdae slowly sank down to the floor and covered his flushed face with his hands. Then he heard Minseok’s sweet high-pitched laughter join the cacophony and he dared to look up. He was clutching his sides and nearly rolled off the bed.

 “I’m just…just going to go,” Jongdae stuttered as he got to his feet.

As he hurried out he made sure to tread on Baekhyun and Chanyeol who were still weeping with laughter on the floor like a pair of hyenas.

He was nearly at the front door when he felt a hand grab his and he jumped around to see Minseok. He was still laughing and the sight was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

 “I’ll pay for your door handle to get fixed,” he spluttered. “And then I’ll go lie down in the road because I want to forget that this ever happened.”  
 “You don’t have to,” Minseok wheezed. He wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. “Jongdae that was really the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t want to ever forget it.”

Jongdae didn’t know what to say. He was too mortified to maintain eye-contact because Minseok really looked stunning in the aftermath of a laughing fit.

 “I think we just got carried away the other night,” Minseok said. “My sleep deprivation isn’t really helping either.”

Jongdae frowned at him.

 “All of _this_ aside,” he said with a sweeping gesture to the flat. “Why don’t you sleep properly?”  
Minseok shrugged.  
 “I’m stressed, I think,” he said. Then he cast his eyes down and he suddenly looked very shy and it was the first time Jongdae had ever seen him with such an expression.  
 “You know, after I met you it got a bit better,” he said softly.

Jongdae felt his heart in his throat because Minseok was practically fluttering his long eyelashes and his he hardly knew what his words meant and it had really just been a wild day.

 “I really like you, Minseok,” Jongdae spluttered and Minseok glanced up with wide eyes.  
 “I mean we only met this year but I would see you around the library often last year and I thought you were very pretty – well I still do – and I’ve basically had a massive crush on you forever,” he said in one breath.

Then he realised that he sounded very much like a stalker and cursed himself. But to his utmost astonishment Minseok uttered a shy giggle and covered his mouth with his hand and glanced away.

 “So can we consider the other night a date?” Minseok asked. “It really felt like date.” He reached out to take Jongdae’s hand.  
 “Yeah, let’s go on more dates,” he said and he knew he sounded incredibly lame but Minseok was standing far too close for him to think coherently. He smiled at him.

 “You know this wall is thin, right?” he said. Jongdae didn’t know where he was going but be nodded.

Minseok’s smile widened and he suddenly looked very mischievous.

 “Not too long ago I heard Baekhyun and Chanyeol shouting ‘Jongdae likes Minseok’, but I’m glad I heard it from you.”  
Jongdae blushed furiously and Minseok laughed at him.  
 “Speaking of Baekhyun, I want to go and throttle him,” Jongdae said as he broke away from Minseok to tried and control his heart rate.

But when he and Minseok went to his room they stopped in their tracks. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had ceased their laughing fits and were entangled together sharing a very passionate kiss.

 “About fucking time! But this isn’t even your room!” Jongdae shrieked. He was elated for them but at the same time he was horrified that they had decided to realise their love for each other on the floor of Minseok’s room.

They instantly sprang apart and scrambled to their feet with very red faces and Jongdae raised his eyebrows.

 “What did you even talk about at your place if you only got around to doing this now?” he asked as he crossed his arms.  
 “We were just…clearing up misunderstandings,” Baekhyun said awkwardly. “Let’s forget this ever happened.”  
 “I’ll pay for a new doorknob and you two can pay for the carpets to get cleaned,” Jongdae snickered and Minseok laughed.

Chanyeol looked thoroughly mortified and Baekhyun seemed to be searching for a decent comeback.

 “At least your place isn’t haunted, Minseok,” Jongdae said brightly. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes.  
 “How would you know? That spider can’t be the explanation for everything,” he said suspiciously.  
 “It explains what happened when we were in the cupboard,” Jongdae said.  
 “What about the Ouija board?”  
 “We moved it ourselves, everyone knows that you do it unconsciously,” Jongdae said.  
 “What about Minseok’s sleep paralysis?”  
 “Everyone gets it,” Jongdae countered. “There’s a logical explanation for everything.”

Baekhyun looked like he wanted to scream.

 “I’m going to look this up right now!” he snapped as he pulled out his phone. Jongdae crossed his arms and glared at him as he researched sleep paralysis.

Then something like a look of embarrassment overcame Baekhyun’s face and Jongdae couldn’t help but snatch the phone from his hands. When he read the explanation he let out a sound of triumph.

 “I knew it! There’s a rational explanation for everything! Your brain imagines a dark figure standing in the corner of your room!”  
 “Really?” Minseok said. “Well, that’s a relief.”  
 “That doesn’t explain the Bloody Mary thing! Or the lights! Or the air-conditioner!” Baekhyun yelled.  
 “Then let’s look at it right now!” Jongdae said in an even louder voice. Minseok and Chanyeol merely watched them in a slightly stunned silence.

Jongdae raced Baekhyun to the electricity box on Minseok’s balcony and he wrenched the small door open.

 “THERE! Something’s tripped!” Jongdae shouted.  
 “But you said that Minseok said that he’s checked it before!” Baekhyun yelled into his ear and he swatted his arm.  
 “I have,” Minseok’s small voice said from beside the door.  
 “Okay, but do any of us really know anything about electrical engineering?” Jongdae said.  
 “That’s it. I’m phoning the landlord. I can’t live like this anymore,” Chanyeol said sternly, taking Jongdae by surprise.

He took out his phone and paced around the living room while Baekhyun watched sullenly.

 “Yes, hi, er, there’s a bit of a problem,” Chanyeol said meekly into the phone.

Jongdae sidled over to Baekhyun and smirked at him.

 “So how did you declare your undying love? I wish I had been there to see it,” he said.

Baekhyun blushed and scowled at him.

 “We were laughing because you broke down Minseok’s door, remember? Then we just started wrestling…” he muttered as his blush deepened and Jongdae laughed.  
 “So did you clear up everything next door? Did I interrupt your kiss when I burst in?”  
 “…yes,” Baekhyun whispered, now sounding incredibly mortified. Jongdae draped his arm around his shoulders and grinned at him.  
 

 “The landlord’s coming right now to sort this all out,” Chanyeol announced and he looked very proud of himself.  
 “Here? What if he sees the door?” Minseok cried in alarm. Chanyeol gaped wordlessly and Jongdae followed Minseok as he rushed back to his bedroom and attempted to clean up the broken door handle.

They had just managed to hide evidence of Jongdae’s destruction when a very harassed-looking man appeared in the flat and Minseok ushered him in.

 “So there’s been a lot of electrical problems?” he said. “Let me take a look.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol looked as though they were holding their breath as they all watched the man inspect Minseok’s electricity box.

 “Oh, well, it turns out that something got rewired and your neighbour is actually causing your stuff to trip,” he said with a surprised look on his face.  
 “Who’s your neighbour?”

Chanyeol raised a trembling hand and it took a lot of self-control for Jongdae to not burst out laughing at the horrified look on his face. He watched smugly as Chanyeol led him out of Minseok’s flat to his own.

The landlord returned a few moments later accompanied by a very pale Chanyeol. He explained that Chanyeol’s Playstation and other appliances were the cause of Minseok’s electrical problems and that he would send maintenance workers to sort it out along with the malfunctioning door locks the next day. It turned out that the place was just old and hadn't been maintained in over twenty years.

The four of them were silent for a moment.

 “So, there really was no ghost,” Jongdae finally said, barely suppressing his smugness.  
 “I suppose there wasn’t,” Baekhyun said irritably with crossed arms.  
 “Are you going to admit that you’re wrong?”

Jongdae was surprised that there wasn’t steam coming out of Baekhyun’s ears as he turned to face him.

 “Fine. I was wrong. There was no ghost here,” he said stiffly. Jongdae smirked at him and Minseok stifled a giggle.  
 “And you, Chanyeol?”  
 “Yeah, what Baekhyun said,” he muttered.

Minseok sidled up to Jongdae and draped an arm around his shoulders and took him by surprise.

 “Well, ghost or not, I’m glad that it happened because it ended up in us having a date,” he said. Jongdae really wished he hadn’t spoken because his smugness suddenly dissipated when Baekhyun and Chanyeol erupted into loud teasing.

Despite his embarrassment, Jongdae had to admit to himself that he was actually immensely grateful for Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s ridiculous superstition as it had ended up in making him very happy.

He and Baekhyun had gotten over eighty percent for their godforsaken assignment. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were finally a very happy silly couple and had finally ended four years of Jongdae’s suffering. But most importantly Jongdae was in a relationship with Minseok.

As they sat together holding hands at a coffee shop drinking the finest Americanos in town Jongdae couldn’t help but grin and think that something supernatural must have intervened in his life to bring him such joy.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually like Baekhyun and Chanyeol when it comes to scary things. The referenced horror movies traumatised me for life.  
> This was a lot of fun to write even though I ended up creeping myself out lmao.


End file.
